She's definitely a guy
by Artistic Gravity
Summary: Kaiko is your average photographer alongside her best friend, Serah. But what happens when the latter asks her for a huge favor in which she has to pretend to be a guy? Oh Kaiko, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. (Yeah, I suck at summaries. Don't judge me!) OlderHope x OC later on. Please read, you might like it! AU! rated T for language
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII, just my oc.**

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"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A man snaps as he was almost tackled down by a running young woman in her early twenties. "Sorry!" She apologized, not looking back as she continued to run down the seaside town of Bodhum.

'Why the hell did you put these on, Kai?!' She asked herself, wincing slightly as she felt blisters take form on her feet. 'Oh, that's right, they were the first shoes I found in the rush of not wanting to be late for work. But why did they have to be heels?!' She mentally cried.

She ran a hand through her chocolate brown locks as she turned a corner almost running into someone again. She shot a glance at her wrist watch and cursed.

'Dammit! I'm gonna be late!' She thought quickening her pace. A relieved sigh came out of her pink lips as Lebreau's café bar came in sight. She stops in front of the door to catch her breath. Then she placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open, a small smile forming in her lips, only to stop dead in her tracks.

'Shit…' The smile she wore was immediately replaced with a scowl as she took in the sight of the long line of people waiting to order. 'I don't have time for this!'

She stood on her tip-toes and looked around for Lebreau. The raven haired woman was taking people's orders by the cash register while Yuj and Maqui prepared their orders.

Lebreau was a twenty-five year old woman with shoulder length black hair and light brown eyes. She runs the café bar she and her friends opened called 'Beach House'. She wears a brown vest over a white loose shirt, brown shorts and brown leather boots. Yuj was a twenty-three year old with feathery blue hair and striking gold eyes. He's one of the employees at the 'Beach House' and he's also close friends with Lebreau. He wears an orange shirt with a dark red, long-sleeved shirt underneath, as well as black leather pants and black leather boots. And Maqui was a nineteen year old with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rounded face. He is also an employee at the 'Beach House' and close friends with Lebreau and Yuj. He wears silver goggles with orange glasses on his head. His sweater is black on torso and back, but has pink sleeves, and high collar. He also wears grey pants and purple and silver shoes.

The woman caught sight of her and gestured for her to come over. Kaiko walked past the people lining up, ignoring the glares shot at her. When she reached the cash register she told the woman what she wanted, paid for her order and then moved on to rest her arms on the counter as she waited.

"One hot chocolate and a cappuccino with two macadamia cookies, I'm guessing?" Yuj asks smirking at her when she blinked owlishly at him. She smiled tiredly and nodded.

"Tough night?" He asked, noticing the bags under her eyes as he moved around getting her order ready. "Yeah, I stayed up till late editing some pictures from a client. The dead line was today. The pictures were already finished, but I wanted to make sure they were perfect." She answered, yawning as she looked around the café. The place was ridiculously crowded today. She wasn't surprised though, the beverages served there were amazing. That's why she always dropped by early in the morning so she wouldn't be late for work, but she overslept.

The place had a welcoming feeling which drove costumers to drop by. Plus, it was located right in front of the beach and it had an outdoor area with tables set up for the people who wanted to watch the ocean while enjoying their beverages. In the inside there were small tables around, a TV was set up on the wall for entertainment and there were also stools for the ones who wanted to sit by the counter.

"Hmph, why am I not surprised?" He asks teasingly as he handed her the bag with the contents she ordered. She laughed lightly before taking the bag and thanking him.

She walked over to Lebreau and bowed to her. "Thanks Lebreau! I owe you one!"

The woman waved her off and smiled. "Don't worry about it. Now go or you'll be late!" She replied, before turning to take care of another costumer.

"Right. Thanks again!" Kaiko called over her shoulder before turning around and starting towards the door. She took out her cellphone to send a text to her best friend and work partner, Serah, telling her she was on her way. Not really looking where she was going, she bumped into someone almost spilling the coffee in the person's hand.

"Ah! Sorry…" She apologized and looked up at the person she bumped into. The man before her looked really familiar, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. He was wearing an Academy uniform of a long-sleeved yellow and white coat with a light blue necktie, light gray pants and black boots.

'So, he works at the Academy.' She noted after seeing his uniform. The Academy was a company that did historical research to build things that would benefit the people of Cocoon and Pulse, the country next to Cocoon.

He looked down at her, a glint of curiousness in his light blue-green eyes. His silver bangs falling slightly in front of his eyes as he tilted his head. "Don't worry. No harm done." He smiled down at her and extended his hand. "I'm Hope, by the way." She took his hand and lightly shook it while nodding. She noticed him look at her expectantly and realized she hadn't said her name.

"…Oh! Right. I'm Kaiko." She told him, her cheeks tinting pink in embarrassment. His smile widened slightly at her reaction, not that she noticed anyway.

"Kaiko, huh? Well, I won't keep you anymore, you were in a hurry after all, no?" He asked. She looked at him confused before her eyes widened in realization. She lifted her left hand to look at her wrist watch.

"Oh man! I'll definitely be late now..." She groaned and started for the door again. Hope turned and called after her.

"Right. It was nice meeting you!" She looked back at him and nodded. "You too!" She replied before exiting the café. Hope watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore as she had turned a corner. 'Could it really be her?' He thought to himself.

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"Ugh! My feet are killing me and the day just started!" Kaiko groaned, wiping sweat from her forehead as she walked through the door to her studio. Serah looked up from the pile of pictures on her desk and smiled when she saw her best friend come in. She bounced her way towards Kaiko and greeted her with a hug before taking the bag the brunette held.

Serah is a 21 year old woman. She has light pink hair which she ties into a ponytail on the left side of her head. She has cerulean blue eyes, and pierced ears adorned with cat-shaped earrings. She wears a red plaid pleated skirt lined with black lace, a white sleeveless dress shirt and ivory ankle boots.

"Did you run all the way here?" The pinkette asked as she looked for something under her desk and handed it to the brunette. Kaiko opened the box handed to her with a bewildered look as the pinkette took out her cappuccino and macadamia cookie from the bag. Kaiko smiled as she took out a pair of converse from the box. It was kind of scary how much the pink haired woman knew her.

"Yeah. I overslept and had to hurry to get here. Did Ms. Brief come by?" She asked as she put on the shoes. "No, she hasn't. And you do know you have a car, right?" The pinkette asked, taking a sip of her cappuccino. The photographer froze at that and then replied in a nonchalant manner.

"Of course I do, but it would have taken me longer to get here with all the traffic." She answered standing up straight and avoiding eye contact. "You forgot, didn't you?" Serah asked, raising an amused eyebrow when the brunette blushed slightly. "No! And it wouldn't have been as fun and exciting as running around the town in heels like a crazed woman if I had taken the car."

"Right…" Serah said quietly as she watched the brunette sit down in her own desk and take a bite of her cookie. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Not really knowing how to voice what she wanted to ask the brunette. As she pondered on how to ask properly she didn't notice she was staring. Kaiko sensing the stare turned around and asked putting her cookie on her desk and turning her laptop on. "What is it?" She took a sip of her chocolate and looked expectantly at the pinkette, then frowned when she started fiddling with her fingers.

"Umm, I uh, I umm…" Serah looked down at her lap, her brows furrowed nervously. Kaiko's eyebrows furrowed in concern and stood up to place a comforting hand on her best friend's shoulder.

"Serah, are you okay? Did you and Snow had a fight or something?" Serah shook her head. "Are you sick?" Serah shook her head once more. "Are you pregnant?" The brunette tried again. Serah's head snapped up and she shook her head furiously while blushing. "What?! Of course not!"

"Then, what is it? You're making me worry here." Kaiko told her as she sat down in her desk chair again and typed her password in the laptop. "You remember my sister, right?" Serah began. "You mean Lightning? Yeah, what about her?" Kaiko replied looking back at Serah. "Well, she's coming back from the mission she had in Gran Pulse. But the thing is, she found out I was dating someone…"

"…She knows you're dating Snow?" Kaiko asked her best friend, surprise written all over her face. "No…" Serah replied, shrinking into herself. When Kaiko shot her a confused look she continued. "A few weeks ago I found out that Lightning had met Snow once. Apparently someone tried to rob a store and Snow, being the idiot he is, went there to help out. Lightning mistook him for a thief and almost killed him. If Lightning found out that I'm dating him, she would most definitely kill him!"

Kaiko just stared at her. "And you don't know how to tell her, huh?" She asked to which Serah shook her head. "Wow, she's gonna be pissed when she finds out…"

"Well, that's why I need your help. Lightning wants to meet the guy I'm dating." Serah told her, once again avoiding eye contact. "Uh, do you remember that time in high school where you had to cut your hair because some kid stuck gum in it?" Serah began. Kaiko's face scrunched up in confusion at the random change of subject. "Unfortunately, yes I do. Everyone mistook me for a guy, girls kept flirting with me everywhere I went! That was the worst year of my life." Kaiko replied pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "But, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, I would never ask you to do this if it wasn't because of the short notice and if I wasn't so desperate." Serah said as she watched Kaiko take another sip of chocolate. "But… I-I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

"**PFFFFFTT**!" And so, Serah was covered in hot chocolate.

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**Author's note: Yup, that's it for first chapter! Tell me what you think! BTW! I listened to "Go, go naruto" while typing the first bit...it makes it more fun. How cool would it be if you had background music in real life?!... Okay, sorry I'll stop now. I seriously don't know where I got the idea for this, maybe it was from watching coffee prince or something...I don't know... Should I continue? Please let me know, yeah?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII.**

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Kaiko picked at her food with her chopsticks looking down at her plate. She has never felt so uncomfortable in her life. She felt those piercing blue eyes from across the table fall on her again, making her feel extremely awkward. She looked up at Serah, when the woman nudged her. Serah looked at her nervously from her place beside her and gestured towards the owner of the penetrating gaze with her eyes.

"Um, sorry, what was that?" Kaiko asked, deepening her voice to fit her image as she noticed she had just been addressed to. She only hoped she sounded boyish enough to convince the person sitting across from her. Said person rolled her eyes in annoyance at having to repeat herself. "I said, where are you from?"

"Uh, I'm naturally from Palumpolum, but m-moved here a few years ago." Kaiko answered nervously. Lightning stared at her. "I've never seen you around."

"Uh, yeah…I don't go out much…" The brunette answered scratching her cheek sheepishly. "So, you're a photographer, and you have your own studio? Aren't you a little too young?" Lightning asked again.

"It was my father's studio." Kaiko responded simply. Lightning huffed and turned towards her sister when the smaller pinkette sparked up a conversation. The brunette sighed in relief when those cold blue orbs left her mint green ones. She looked around the restaurant they were currently at. A few days ago, Serah had made arrangements with her sister to meet them at Orion's for dinner. She bit the inside of her cheek bitterly as she remembered how she was dragged into this.

_Flashback ~Two weeks ago~_

Serah only stared at her still coughing friend wiping the chocolate stains on her shirt. 'I should've waited until she swallowed.' Serah thought sighing as her friend was now gaping at her, eyes slightly teary from her coughing fit.

"…Serah." Kaiko began in a strangely calm voice after her little episode. "I don't know if you've noticed, but biologically speaking… I'm a _girl_!" Serah flinched a little as the brunette's tone got higher with each word she said. "Why can't you just ask an actual _guy_ to do it?"

"I know you're a girl, but I don't know who else to ask! I can't ask my other friends, because Lightning already knows them. She's seen you, but she doesn't really _know_ you. If you dressed like a guy she wouldn't really know it's you. So, she wouldn't tell the difference." Serah replied moving to stand before her best friend. "And I've already asked random guys around town, but once they heard 'Lightning' come out of my mouth they ran away."

Kaiko would've laughed if she wasn't so freaked out. It must have been quite amusing seeing grown men flee at the mention of 'Lightning'. "Seriously Serah! I can't do it! I can't act like a man!" The brunette exclaimed. "Have you even thought this through? I mean-, what's the point? And what do you mean she won't notice the difference if I dressed like a guy?" The brunette asked somewhat offended.

Serah ignored the last question and looked thoughtful for a moment before she replied. "I guess…I'm just buying more time to ready myself to tell her. I mean, you know how she is. She wouldn't even let me finish telling her. She would immediately go after him."

"But Serah, how can we possibly fool _Lightning Farron_?! She's a freaking soldier! The woman will most likely look for info on me, and when she finds none, she'll get suspicious and then kill me!" The brunette cried out throwing her hands around for emphasis. Serah stared at her half amused, half sympathetic. "I know I'm asking for a lot, but please! You know I would do this for you if you were in my position."

"I'm sorry, Serah. You know I would do anything for you, but mess with your sister? I still want to live, you know." Kaiko told her running her hands through her hair. Serah shot her a distressed look. "No. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."

_The next day~_

Kaiko woke up to the smell of breakfast filling the air. She cracked an eye open and looked around. The clock on her night stand read that it was 8 AM so, she slowly sat up. The sound of kitchen pots and someone moving around the medium-sized kitchen in her apartment reached her ears. Now, if she remembered correctly she lived alone...

'Oh, crap.' She thought and quickly got off her bed to investigate. She quietly walked to the door and opened it soundly. Walking through the hallway the only thought in her head was how she was gonna take down the intruder. She had taken a few self-defense classes and could hold her own. She popped her head to the kitchen, only to see a familiar head of pink hair.

"What the hell?" The brunette said loud enough to catch the intruder's attention. Said person looked up from the scrambled eggs she was making and smiled at her. "Good morning! I'm almost done here! You can go sit down."

"What…the hell?" The photographer repeated again. "How…?"

"How, what?" The pinkette asked, tilting her head to the side. She turned off the stove and looked at her. The brunette was now standing before her, wearing an oversized black t-shirt and white shorts, her hair pulled into a messy bun.

"How the hell did you get in, Serah?!" The brunette exclaimed. The pinkette blinked before responding in a matter of fact tone. "I figured, since you're you, you'd keep a spare key either in the plant pot or on the door frame. You're quite cliché aren't you? Now go sit down, I'll serve you breakfast."

Kaiko did as she was told and sat down at the table. She rubbed circles on her temple to keep a headache from coming on. "Serah!" She called out to her pink haired friend, who hummed in response to let her know she was listening. "The answer's still no!"

The brunette bit back a laugh when she heard a groan and the sound of the front door slamming shut.

_Two days later~_

"I look way too much like a girl to be a guy!" Kaiko countered as she sat down on her desk. "I'd look and sound like a teenager that hasn't even hit puberty! And I'm twenty-two years old! What can you possibly do to make me look like a dude?" She groaned when she caught sight of Serah's puppy dog eyes. "Please, it would only be one date! And I'm super good with make-up! Your voice is kind of husky so, all you have to do is make it sound deeper." Serah told her taking her hands in hers. She peered into the brunette's face and noticed she was starting to cave in. "But, what if Lightning caught us in the lie?"

"She won't." Serah reassured her. "So, please, help me?" Kaiko looked at her from behind her chocolate brown bangs. "What about my boyfriend?" Serah raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have a boyfriend." She deadpanned. Kaiko clicked her tongue in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine! But, I'm breaking up with you afterwards." She told her crossing her arms. Serah squealed before glomping the brunette. "Yay! I love you! You're the best friend ever!"

"Yeah, I know…no one loves Kaiko more than when she's saying yes…" Kaiko replied a small smile forming on her lips at her friend's childishness.

_Flashback ends_

Kaiko mentally face palmed at the memory. She has got to stop being so nice. She ran a hand through her now short brown hair and winced. Yes, _short_. She didn't cut it for this occasion though, or on purpose for that matter. When she went out shopping with Serah for the attire she was now wearing, which consisted of a grey vest over a black button-down shirt with dark baggy jeans and black converse, the pinkette took her to the nearest beauty salon for her usual haircut. When the brunette sat down, the hairdresser began to work. While she was reading a magazine someone bumped into the hairdresser causing her to accidentally cut way more hair then she was intending too. The hairdresser apologized a million times. Serah, seeing the accident, told the hairdresser to give her a short hairstyle with a long fringe, telling the brunette that it was a unisex style and that it would look great on her. Kaiko almost cried when she saw the hair. All the time it took to grow her hair out, and now she was back to the short style girls seemed to fall for. The hairstylist apologized again after she was finished and obviously didn't charge them.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Serah's arm loop around hers. "And that was how I met Kai." Serah said as she put her head on Kaiko's shoulder. Lightning looked at them both with a straight face. "You've been dating for six months, and I find out about this now?" She looked directly at Kaiko and glared. "So, have you done anything funny with my sister?"

Kaiko's eyes widened as she started to choke on the piece of sushi she had just popped into her mouth. The pink haired soldier definitely didn't beat around the bush. Serah patted her back gently, her cheeks flushing pink at her sister's accusation. The brunette gulped down a glass of water and cleared her throat before speaking in an out of breath tone.

"W-What do you mean?" Lightning glared at her, causing her to shrink slightly into herself. "Have you slept with my sister?" The pinkette asked again more forcefully, making the brunette lean away. Kaiko thought back on sleepovers she'd had with Serah. They had slept in the same bed most of the times because they were too lazy to get an extra futon.

"Well, we've slept in the same bed, if that's what you're wondering…" The brunette answered innocently, scratching the back of her head. She immediately knew that was the wrong answer when the oldest Farron's eyes turned almost deadly. She looked over at Serah, the poor girl looked like she was trying to disappear into her seat. Kaiko gulped and beads of sweat started to form on her forehead as she locked eyes with the soldier. The woman looked like she was ready to kill, a permanent scowl on her face and the hand holding her chopsticks clenching tightly. But, before either of them could speak, an accented voice reached their ears.

"Hey, sunshine!" Kaiko turned her head to see a raven haired woman, wearing a blue t-shirt and black jeans, walking over. The strange woman sat down next to Lightning, her lips were coiled up into a smirk and green eyes sparkled with mischief. "Long time no see!"

Kaiko visibly relaxed when the murderous stare broke away from her. She looked over at Serah who seemed to have relaxed as well. The smaller pinkette shot her a reassuring smile making Kaiko nod at her in response. The brunette turned towards the strange woman again, only to see her already looking her way curiously, a mischievous smile stretched along the strange woman's lips. She leaned forward, her arms resting on the table. "What are you doing here, Fang?" The pink haired soldier asked slightly annoyed, crossing her arms across her chest. The woman ignored her. "Well, aren't you cute? What's a little boy doing here with you guys?" The woman asked in a teasing tone looking at Kaiko. Serah responded first, gripping Kaiko's arm lightly. "He's my boyfriend." Fang's eyebrows rose in amusement, before realization flashed across her face. "Oh, I see what's going on here." The woman said nodding. "How long have you guys been at it?"

"An hour, or so." Serah replied. Fang's eyes widened. "And he hasn't run away yet?" The woman asked to what Serah shook her head. Kaiko's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "That's a new record! Most of the guys Serah has dated ran away at the mere sight of Lightnin' here!" The woman added chuckling, making Lightning huff. "He must really like you if he's still here!"

Serah nodded and looked over at Kaiko, a soft smile on her face. 'I would've run away if Serah hadn't had an iron grip on my arm.' The brunette thought sulking. Lightning's eyes softened slightly at her sister, before they turned cold again. "He still hasn't proved himself to me." The woman said glaring at the brunette. The girl currently disguised as a guy, nervously avoided her gaze shuddering slightly. "C'mon, Light! Don't be so hard on him! You barely know him!" Fang exclaimed placing an arm on Lightning's shoulders and shaking her slightly. Suddenly her eyes widened. "Oh! I know!" The raven haired woman exclaimed. "Why don't you come to our annual get-together in Oerba?!"

"**What**?!" The two siblings, plus Kaiko, shouted at the grinning Fang simultaneously.

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**Author's note: Well, that's it for now. I didn't like how this chapter turned out much... I don't know. I'm gonna come back and edit it sometime, maybe. Tell me how I'm doing and if you're liking the story so far! Review, yeah? I'll appreciate it! Mata ne! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII**

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"Hell no!"

Kaiko flinched slightly at the enraged tone on the pink haired soldier's voice. Said soldier, stood up abruptly and glared at the still grinning Fang. Kaiko looked around the restaurant to find most of the people looking their way, startled at Lightning's outburst. Embarrassed, she shot them a reassuring smile before turning to look at the older Farron again. The soldier shot the wild raven haired woman a cold glare, one that could freeze hell all over. But the woman just kept on smiling, a flicker of amusement shinning in her green eyes.

"Oh, c'mon Light! It's only a few days!" Fang replied, the playful smirk on her face never faltering. "Plus you can keep an eye on hi- I mean, get to know him better!"

"Fuck no!" Lightning said as she sat back down, the scowl never leaving her face. She pinched the bridge of her nose to keep in the urge of killing the wild haired woman as she snickered.

"Fang, I-I don't think it's a v-very good idea…" Serah chuckled nervously. When Fang shot her a bewildered look, she quickly covered up. "I-I mean, it's not that I don't want him there! It's just that… uh, well, he's… he's busy with work! Aren't you, honey?" Serah asked with a tight smile, turning her head to shoot Kaiko a pointed look. "Y-yeah, and I wouldn't like t-to intrude in a family… thing." Kaiko continued, closing her eyes and smiling sheepishly.

"Nonsense! You wouldn't be intrudin'! I invited you! And I'm sure you can take a few days off work!" Fang quickly replied waving off their excuses. "The vacation will do you good! And you can meet the whole family!"

The brunette stiffened at that, meeting their whole family… pretending to be a guy. Oh, man this isn't what she bargained for! She turned her head to look at Serah. The pinkette was biting her lip as she tried to make up an excuse.

"Fang, you're scaring him." Serah spoke up as she lightly rubbed circles on Kaiko's back to calm her down. "I don't think we should rush like that. I mean, we've only been dating for six months."

"Exactly! Six months and you didn't tell us anythin'! Did you know?" Fang asked, turning towards Lightning. The latter shook her head and looked away with a frown. "See! That's why I think we should definitely do this! So we can get closer!" Fang exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. "C'mon! I just feel like this would be great for all of us!"

Lightning rolled her eyes and suddenly stood up. She then took a hold of Fang's elbow and dragged the woman behind her. "Excuse us." She said curtly, before disappearing behind the ladies bathroom's door. Kaiko watched them go before turning to glare at the younger Farron.

"Serah! What are we gonna do?!" The brunette whispered loudly, her voice losing the boyish tone she had added. "We have to come up with something!...Oh, I know! We have to break up!"

"We can't do that. Lightning would go after you thinking you broke her little sister's heart." Serah replied stroking her chin thoughtfully. A horrified look took over Kaiko's expression as she imagined how that would play out. They definitely didn't think this through. She would get killed if Lightning found out that they lied to her and that she's actually a girl, but she would be tortured if she 'broke up' with Serah. The young photographer felt like crying now.

"I'm going to die!" She cried out holding onto Serah for dear life. The pinkette fought the urge to laugh. Her usually composed friend could be such a drama queen sometimes. She took a hold of her friend's hands and spoke in a reassuring tone.

"You're not going to die." She laughed lightly when her friend glared at her. "Don't worry, okay? We'll come up with something." She said before pulling her friend into a light hug.

_~With Lightning and Fang~_

"Usually, I prefer dinner and a date first, bu-"

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Lightning snapped at the wild haired woman. "You can't just invite a complete stranger to our family stuff like that! He isn't going!" Fang merely stared at the pink haired soldier with a bored expression. "Why do you want the kid to go so much anyway…? You don't even know him."

The green eyed woman shrugged as she leaned against the sink. "I just have a strong feelin', ya know? I think he'll make things more… interestin', yeah?" Fang replied her lips coiling into her usual smirk. Lightning, annoyed to no end, began to pace in the medium-sized bathroom. "Serah seems to really like him... C'mon, do it for her."

Lightning's glare softened slightly at the mention of her sister. Seeing that, Fang continued. "Maybe that's why she didn't tell you sooner. She knew you would act the way you've acted every time you've met any of the guys she has dated so, she opted for not tellin' you, so you wouldn't chase away another guy. If you tried to get to know him, your relationship with Serah might get better..." That made the soldier stop in her tracks. "Seeing as you actually tried to get along with the guy she likes."

_~Back at the table~_

Kaiko pulled away from Serah and asked what they were going to do. Serah just shrugged. "We'll just say you can't make it. I'm sure Fang will understand after a little bit of persuading. Plus, Lightning would never allow you to go."

The brunette breathed out a sigh and nodded at Serah. They both turned their heads towards the bathroom's door to see a very satisfied looking Fang, making her way back to the table, with a very annoyed looking Lightning behind her.

"Great news guys! Lightnin' here agreed with me to let you come to Oerba!" The green eyed woman hollered in excitement when she sat down across Kaiko.

"..."

"Oh, r-really…?" The brunette forced a smile, her 'manly' voice cracking, and turned almost robotically towards Serah. The younger Farron mustn't have expected this to come from her older sister either, seeing as surprise was written all over her face.

Serah sat in silence and observed her sister as the older woman took a sip from her glass of water. For some reason she couldn't remember how to connect her brain and her mouth. "... Uh," slowly her basic motor functions came back to her. "L-Light, I… is that true?"

Lightning was ready to sulk, but she wasn't about to show it. Her eye twitched slightly as she nodded and looked away from her sister. Serah's eyes widened and a disbelieving smile spread across her face.

"R-really?" Serah asked again to make sure she wasn't seeing things, her sister actually letting a stranger go to one of their vacations with them. More importantly a guy?!

Lightning, annoyed at being asked again, was about to change her mind. But she looked back at her sister. The younger pinkette's smile was so big she was afraid it would split her face in half. Lightning mentally grimaced, how can she say no now? "Yes, Serah… If it will make you happy, he can go." Lightning replied, irritation visible in her face. "It's only two weeks after all…" She grumbled. "Yay!" Serah squealed and stood up to hug her sister. Actually forgetting what it was they had agreed to. She was just happy her sister agreed with her.

Kaiko stared at her, mouth agape. 'This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Why can't things ever go my way?' She cried to herself. 'So much for can't make it…' She thought bitterly.

Fang stared at the brunette. It was quite amusing to see how the mint green eyed boy's expressions changed. First it was somewhat happy or relieved, then shocked, and now horrified. 'Oh, those two weeks are going to be fun.' She thought to herself as a smirk spread across her lips.

"Don't worry mate!" Fang exclaimed bringing the boy's attention to herself. "These two weeks will be great! We'll go to the beach, go to the lake, mess around with the family, play some games… you'll love it!"

All color drained from the brunette's face. She would have to pretend she's a guy for… TWO WEEKS?! She has to get out of this somehow. "As lovely as that sounds, I-I can't just close the studio for two weeks!" She answered a distress look taking over her features as she saw Fang's eyes twinkle.

* * *

Kaiko entered Lebreau's café, 'Beach House', with a bitter expression on her face. The events from the previous afternoon still fresh in her mind. She almost couldn't sleep last night. Somehow, Fang was able to persuade her into saying yes. How? She has no idea. All she knew was that next week she was going to catch a plane with Serah and Lightning that would take her to Pulse. And Fang would be waiting for them at the airport to pick them up and take them to Oerba.

"Good morning!" She looked up to see Lebreau waiting for her at the cash register, waving. The raven haired woman wore a passive smile on her face. "The usual?" She asked before the brunette even reached the counter.

Kaiko shook her head and sat down on one of the stools. "Just a hot chocolate and a macadamia cookie today." She gave the woman the exact money without Lebreau telling her, and leaned an elbow on the counter, supporting her chin with the same arm. The raven haired woman took the money and walked away with an amused smile, shaking her head. 'That girl. She already has the price memorized.' Lebreau chuckled to herself.

"Hey there." Kaiko turned her head to smile at Yuj as he came in through the door behind the counter. "Are you running late again?" He teased. Kaiko rolled her eyes at him.

"No. I'm not going to open the studio today. I'll be working at home." She told him straightening up and stretching. Yuj nodded and began to get her order ready.

She took the moment to look around. The place wasn't as crowded as most of the time, especially at this hour of the day. There were a few regulars sitting by the table chatting with their companions or reading books quietly. She sighed and turned to look at the local news on the TV.

"_Breaking news! We just received info on a new discovery in the Bresha ruins by The Academy. Apparently they found what appears to be an ancient city that had been buried under ground for years. Up next we'll have an exclusive talk with the Director's assistant on ho-" _

"Did you do something different to your hair?" Kaiko's attention was pulled away from the TV as Yuj placed a cup of hot chocolate and a small paper bag with the cookie before her. She ran a self-conscious hand through her wig and shook her head at Yuj's question.

She decided to wear a wig in case Lightning popped out of nowhere and recognized her as 'Kai', Serah's boy/man. Plus, she didn't want to hear any questions or complaints about why her hair was so short. Even more importantly she didn't want to deal with any schoolgirls flirting with her. Only the mere thought of that made her shudder.

"You sure?" Yuj asked again, tilting his head at her. His blue bangs following the movement.

"Yes, I'm sure!" She assured rather loudly. Then her eyes widened slightly as she turned around and a tiny blush tinted her cheeks as the people in the café stared at her. She hunched over slightly in embarrassment and turned towards Yuj again. Her right eye twitched when she caught sight of Yuj's face.

The man bit back a laugh and was about to say something to her when the doorbell jingled, signaling that someone had just walked in. Yuj smiled at the newcomer and waved at him.

Kaiko took that as her cue to leave and took her belongings. "See ya guys!" She waved and turn to walk back to her car. Yes, she remembered this time.

"Hello." Her head snapped up at the familiar voice and mint green eyes met light blue-green ones. "It's been a while, huh?" The silver headed man asked, smiling down at her.

Kaiko just blinked for a while trying to remember the man's name. She bit down on her lip and her eyes narrowed slightly as she thought. Suddenly she snapped her fingers and pointed her index finger at him. "Hope, right?" She asked, a proud smile lighting up her face when the man nodded.

"Yeah, I'm glad you remembered." He told her a relief smile spreading across his lips. He then shifted slightly, trying to think how to voice correctly what he wanted to ask the brunette. "This will probably sound a little creepy, but does your full name happen to be Kaiko Nakamura?"

* * *

**Author's note: Hello! Another chapter out! yay! I'm sorry it took so long! But school's being a real b*tch and my teachers have been giving me loads of school projects and presentations and I just haven't found the time! Again sorry!**

**So, this chapter was pretty much uneventful, but it needed to be done! Promise next chapter will be better! :D Special thanks to my friend Kae2! who helped me out with news and that crap! I don't watch news so I was like 'What the hell do I do now?!' lol. So, thank you! You're awesome!**

**Another thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite and so on! Thank you for the kind words! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I get an email informing me someone reviewed or followed, etc. as idiotic as that sounds, lol. Hope you liked the chapter anyways! :) Mata ne!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII**

* * *

Kaiko stared blankly at the man before her. He had just said her full name… She doesn't remember ever telling him. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she nodded curtly to his question.

"Y-yeah… um, how do you- uh…" She trailed off still looking at him in suspicion.

Hope was biting back a laugh at the woman's expression. To him it looked rather comical, but he couldn't just laugh in front of her. She would probably be offended, and he was nothing but gentleman after all.

So, he just smiled at her. "I'm Hope."

Kaiko sweat dropped and her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit more. Didn't they already went through introductions? She tilted her head and looked him up and down. Did he have short time memory loss or something? "Uh, yes. You told me that a few weeks ago, remember? And I just said your name a few seconds ago…"

Hope shook his head. His silver locks bouncing with the movement. "I'm Hope _Estheim_... From school?"

Kaiko blinked owlishly at him. She racked her brain for a memory, but nothing came to her. When silence followed, Hope tried again.

"We studied in the same middle school?"

"…"

Well, that would explain why she can't remember him. Her whole school life was a blur to her except for high school. Now she felt bad.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember…"

He nodded looking down, a small smile on his face. "It's okay. I don't blame you... I wasn't exactly the most memorable one."

Kaiko openly stared at him. Maybe that's why he seemed familiar the first time they met. Suddenly the image of a scrawny kid with silver hair came to her mind.

'_Y-y-you've tutored m-me this p-past semester…'_

Kaiko's eyes widened as the memory came to her. That scrawny silver headed boy was THIS Hope? If it wasn't because he was right before her eyes she wouldn't believe it.

"I tutored you, right?"

"You remember?" He asked her eagerly.

"Not really. Just that I was your tutor."

He smiled sadly. "Oh…" He looked into her questioning eyes and shook his head. "Don't worry about it… Anyways, can I buy you anything?"

Kaiko looked down at the cup on her hand and then up at Hope with an apologetic smile on her face. Hope shook his head and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Right…" He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, if you're not in a hurry, would you like to sit down?"

The brunette bit down on her bottom lip as she thought. She didn't have anything else to do besides… work. Well, shoot… a few minutes wouldn't hurt. She was about to respond, when a young man in his late teens or early twenties with dark brown hair, all but ran into the café.

"Director! Have you ordered yet? Alyssa just called! She said they want an interview with you, sir!" The young man said in a rush. Hope closed his eyes and an irritated sigh came out of his lips.

'Director?' Kaiko looked away politely as Hope turned to speak with the young man. She looked around the costumers and one in particular caught her attention. It wasn't the costumer that caught her eye though, more like the newspaper he was holding. On the cover of the newspaper was a picture of Hope. It wasn't long before realization hit her right in the face. 'Oh, hell no… He's the director of The Academy?!'

"-but Director!" Kaiko turned at the young man's voice.

"I'm busy right now." Hope cut in, irritation laced in his voice. He turned towards Kaiko again and smiled at her. "Well?"

"Uh, I… think you're kind of busy…" She said quietly, and her gaze swiveled away.

"That can wait." He told her, smiling down at her.

"Doesn't seem like it…" She muttered as she watched the brunette beside Hope tap his foot against the wooden floor. Hope followed her gaze and his eyes narrowed slightly at his employee. The boy quickly looked away and awkwardly shuffled away from the silverette. He turned to face Kaiko and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about that. So, what do you say?"

"It's fine." She told him. "I don't want to hold you up or anything…"

"Don't worry about it. I can work around my schedule for you."

"Why?" She asked him, obviously confused. It was sure nice of him to do something like that. But they just met... Well, they met a long time ago in middle school, but they were kids. People grow up and they were different now. At least, that's what she thought.

"Because…" He said, looking straight into her eyes. "I want to spend time with you."

Kaiko's eyes widened and it didn't take much for her face to turn bright red. The silverette's, rather blunt, words echoing in her head. Her mouth open and closed as she floundered for words.

"Director, it's Alyssa…" The young man said nervously, holding up a cell phone.

Hope sighed and studied Kaiko's expression. "Here. Why don't we exchange cards?" He asked her. He put his hand in his pocket and took a business card out, extending it towards Kaiko. The woman stared at his outstretched hand.

"Uh… Oh! Okay, sure." She took his card and then searched her pockets for hers. She then face palmed when she came out empty handed. 'What kind of photographer doesn't carry a business card with her?'

"Sorry. I don't have any on me at the moment…"

Hope blinked and took his cell phone out. "Type your number down here then."

Kaiko stared at him, before slowly taking a hold of the cell. She typed her number and then handed it to him with a small smile. He smiled back and saved the number.

"Director…"

"I'm coming." He rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll call you sometime, if you don't mind of course…"

She nodded and made her way towards the door. She stopped at the door and looked back at Hope, who waved at her when she met his gaze. She shook her head and walked away.

* * *

When Kaiko arrived at her apartment, she took her shoes off, placed her keys on the table, and took the wig off. Taking the business card Hope handed her from her pocket, she stared at it.

"_I want to spend time with you."_

She blushed slightly at the memory and shook her head to get rid of the thought. She neatly placed the card on the table and walked towards her room to change into more comfortable clothes. When she was satisfied with her attire, which consisted of a baggy t-shirt with knee-length shorts, she sat down on her couch. Turning on the TV, she took her laptop out of its case and turned it on.

After about two hours of editing pictures, with bathroom breaks and everything, her eyes hurt from staring at the screen for so long. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up, and made her way over to the kitchen when her stomach grumbled.

She opened the fridge and peered inside. Concluding that she didn't have anything to eat there, she moved on to the cabinet. She took a can of soup and took out a pot, grumbling to herself about not having any real food.

As the brunette read the instructions on how to properly prepare the soup, there was a knock on the door. Putting the can down, she opened the door to find a smiling Serah with a Carbuncle doll in her hands. Kaiko stared at her with an unamused expression, debating with herself whether to let her in or not. Sighing, she stepped aside to let the pinkette in. She closed the door and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning against the wall.

Serah shifted her weight from one foot to another and smiled awkwardly. "Uh, hi…" The brunette quirked an eyebrow at her and moved to the kitchen, the pinkette right behind her.

"I'm sorry! It just happened so fast… Look! I brought you something!" Serah smiled, waving the doll in front of Kaiko's face. The photographer took the doll from the smaller girl's hand, and felt her lips curl into a smile against her will.

"You're smiling! That's good! You're not mad at me." Serah chuckled.

"Shut up. I'm still a little mad over the fact that you didn't help me…" The brunette deadpanned, making Serah pout.

Kaiko placed the doll on the couch and sat down, gesturing for Serah to sit down next to her. The pinkette was about to follow suit, but stopped suddenly and lightly bumped her fist on the side of her head.

"Right! I almost forgot, I came to pick you up!"

Kaiko jumped a little at the pinkette's sudden outburst. "Uh, why?"

"We're going to the hot springs, of course!" Serah stated as if it was the most obvious thing. She took a hold of Kaiko's wrist and started to drag the slightly taller woman behind her. The photographer twitched at her friend's words.

"What makes you think I want to go to the hot springs with you?" Kaiko asked as Serah put her shoes on and pushed the photographer's convers into her hands.

"Um, because… we can buy ice cream at Cryptos afterwards?"

"…"

Serah stared at the place where her best friend stood just seconds ago and blinked. "You should've started with that!" She heard the brunette call out as she had already gone out the door. Serah shook her head in amusement and chuckled. She then took her friend's keys from the table and followed after her.

_~At the hot springs~_

As the two walked into the changing rooms to change out of their clothes, the chatter of the women around stopped. Serah, not noticing the sudden change of atmosphere, walked into one of the dressing rooms telling Kaiko to wait for her there. The brunette nodded at her words and shifted her weight to her right leg.

The photographer yawned as she looked around, her eyes landing on the group of woman staring at her. Kaiko blinked at the stares and awkwardly lifted a hand to wave, but stopped the movement when one of the women screamed.

"AAHHH! Pervert!"

"Eh?" Kaiko, genuinely confused, looked behind herself and back at the flustered women who were covering themselves with whatever they found. Suddenly, a towel was thrown into her face. She took the towel from her face and stared at it. Before she knew what was happening, a bunch of towels were flying towards her.

"Get out!" They shouted as the brunette tried to dodge the towels, a freaked out look on her face. "Hey!"

"Wh- Argh! What are yo- What is happening?!" She screamed as a woman pushed her out the door.

"How dare a guy like that come in here?" She heard one of them say as a younger one giggled. She blinked and walked in again with a small frown. The women started yelling again at the sight of her.

"O-oi! I'm a girl!" She yelled making the group stop.

"Liar!" One yelled as once again towels were being thrown at her. She breathed out a sigh and cursed under her breath. She sighed in relief when Serah decided to walk out of the changing room, still fully clothed.

The pinkette blinked owlishly at the sight. She was not expecting to find her friend being bombarded with towels the second she let her out of her sight. She turned to face an old lady as she called out to her.

"If you want to take a bath with your boyfriend rent a _private_ hot spring!"

Serah quirked an eyebrow as Kaiko scowled at her. "We can go for that ice cream now…?" She suggested. Kaiko just nodded grimacing as she caught sight of one of the women winking at her through all the towel throwing.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"Why is this happening?" Kaiko asked her friend as she saw a group of girls smile in her general direction. She ran a hand down her face in frustration, waiting for Serah to reply, who was sitting next to her in a bench.

"Well, your baggy clothes hides the fact that you're a girl… and your non-existent boobs don't help much in your situation either." Serah stated, placing a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Kaiko looked down at herself, and glared at the pinkette as she finished her ice cream cone.

"You know, I take offence to that…"

Serah laughed lightly, but suddenly stopped. Kaiko looked up at her, confused as to what had made the shorter woman stop. Before she could ask what was wrong the pinkette shoved a spoonful of ice cream into Kaiko's mouth.

The brunette's eyes widened as she started to gag, surprised at the sudden act. She shot the pinkette a frantic look as she swallowed the ice cream.

"What the he- umph!" She was cut off when the pinkette shoved another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She then felt Serah's hand run through her hair and her arm loop around hers.

Serah giggled and her eyes shifted nervously to someone behind Kaiko. The brunette glared at her before following her gaze, her own eyes widening at what she saw.

"Oh, shit…"

* * *

**Author's note: Alright! Another chapter in only a few days! *gives self a pat on the back*. Well I had fun writing this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! Thank you to everyone who favorite, followed and reviewed! **

**Next chapters may not come as fast as this one because of school, but I already have most of them planned out! The only chapter I hadn't planned out ahead was the third one! That's why it's probably a little messy... Anyways I hope you liked it and tell me what you think! :) Mata ne!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this all the time? I think you all know I don't own Final Fantasy XIII**

* * *

'Please don't come over, please don't come over, please don't!' Kaiko chanted in her head as she stared wide eyed at the pink haired soldier, who had turned her head towards them when she caught sight of her sister from the corner of her eye. The soldier was apparently on patrol and was now waiting on her motorcycle for the light to switch green. The brunette's gaze sharply turned towards her companion when she felt a jab in her ribcage. She shot a questioning look at her, only to get poked again.

"Gah! Serah stop that! You know I'm ticklish!" She exclaimed loudly in between laughs. Her protests were ignored as the pinkette poked her side again. "Wha-what the hell are you doing?!"

"If we pretend we're busy she won't come over."

Kaiko stared at her. "You think tickling me is gonna stop her from coming here?!"

The pinkette stopped what she was doing. Yeah, now that she heard it out loud, it sounded pretty stupid... But hey, she was desperate. If her sister came towards them she will notice something odd on Kaiko. Sure the woman's clothes hid her body pretty well and she barely had any chest at all, but her sister is quite observant and she would definitely notice the slight bump on the woman's chest. She bit on her bottom lip as she thought on what she could do. She knew her sister would come towards them once she saw them. What can she possibly do to make her veer directions? Well… her sister didn't like awkward situations now that she thought about it, even when she caused most of those awkward moments. When they were kids, her sister did whatever she could to avoid awkwardness. She hated it with a passion, but she doesn't show it much now that she's older, well, she didn't show much of anything now. So, all Serah had to do was… She turned her head to face her green eyed friend. 'Man, this was gonna be weird…'

Kaiko raised an eyebrow at her friend. The smaller woman was practically staring a hole into her face. She raised a hand to check if she had some ice cream on it. When she felt nothing, she snapped her fingers in front of the younger Farron's face to get her attention. The pinkette merely blinked, unfazed by the action.

"Kaiko…" Serah mumbled. The photographer looked at her, a questioning look on her features. Without warning, Serah launched herself towards Kaiko, intent on glomping her. The brunette squeaked and let out a puff of air as she was now laying on the bench with a nervously laughing Serah on top of her. The cup of ice cream the pinkette had falling off of her hands and onto the concrete below.

Kaiko looked at Serah as if she had grown two heads. "Just go with it." Serah said through gritted teeth. Kaiko blinked, utterly confused, and looked over at where Lightning was, who turned away wearing her usual stoic expression. It wasn't long before the light turned green and she drove off.

Both Serah and Kaiko breathe out sighs of relief. 'Damn…' The brunette looked at Serah's relieved face. This girl was going to be the death of her, she knew it. If unexpected events like this didn't kill her, this woman's sister would.

Serah looked down at Kaiko and a soft chortle escaped her lips at the face the brunette below her was making. Her eyebrows were furrowed together, her left eye was twitching in a funny way, her cheeks were a bit puffed out and her lips were in a slight pout. Kaiko glared at her and her lip twitched as she tried to hold back the smile pulling at her lips. It wasn't long before the two friends broke into full blown laughter.

"Kaiko? Is that you?"

Said woman immediately stopped laughing as she recognized the voice. Both she and Serah froze. Simultaneously, they turned their heads to face the person who had spoken and stare wide eyed at the equally surprised face staring at them. Oh dear Lord, why?

"What are you guys doing?"

Kaiko and Serah looked at each other and remembered the compromising position they were both in. Serah quickly jumped off Kaiko and blushed embarrassedly. Kaiko, on the other hand, twitched slightly and a pink hue spread across her cheeks as she sat up on the bench.

"Uh… hey Kairi…" Kaiko smiled sheepishly and awkwardly waved at her sister. Yes, sister. Kaiko's dramatic and very pregnant big sister. The woman had dirty blonde hair and the same mint green eyes as Kaiko. She was staring at them. Surprise clear on her face. Kaiko anxiously waited for some kind of response from her older sibling, who only blinked at them.

"I knew you guys were close, but…" Kairi trailed off.

Kaiko blinked confusedly at her, before her eyes widened as she realized what her sister was trying to get at. "What?! No! You psycho!" She yelled, frowning at her sister. The light blush on her cheeks intensifying the slightest bit.

"It's okay! I'm totally cool with it! I really wanted a little you running around mom's house, though… Can't always get what you want, right?" Kairi bit back a laugh at her sister's expression. Her mouth was opening and closing, and her eyes had practically bulged out of their sockets. She resembled a fish. Chuckling to herself, Kairi decided to tease her a bit. "It's okay baby sis! I don't care about your preferences! You will always be my baby sister!"

"Urgh! You got it all wrong!" Kaiko shouted, throwing her hands around in exasperation. She was about to explain the whole situation, but she was cut off when her sister randomly took a hold of her head and pulled on her hair.

"What the hell happened to your hair?!" Kairi asked. Her voice a mixture between anger and shock as she kept pulling at the brunette's hair. Kaiko groaned and swatted her sister's hands away. She then looked at Serah, who was watching the interaction between the siblings in amusement. The pinkette caught the look the brunette was giving her and shrugged. Kaiko nodded and took that as an 'okay' to explain everything to her sister. She took a hold of the older woman's elbow and carefully made her sit down in the bench between her and Serah.

"Now listen to me! No interrupting, okay?" Kaiko said to Kairi as if she was a child. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the command, but nodded nonetheless.

* * *

"And that's why you just caught me and Serah in this really awkward situation. And why my hair is so short… Got it?"

"Okay... So, let me get this straight. You're pretending to be Serah's boyfriend because she doesn't have the guts to tell her sister she's dating an idiot?" Kaiko blinked at her sister's blunt conclusion, but nodded.

"…"

"I'm gonna kill that hairstylist!" Kairi shouted randomly after a few minutes of silence as she tried to stand up. "As soon as I get up from here she's as good as dead."

The whole scene was quite comical. The woman's belly was getting in the way, making it extra harder for her to get up. Kaiko gapped at her. After her whole detailed explanation… that was the only thing she got?

Kaiko turned to look at Serah, who was watching the fuming blonde fast walk away from them. The pinkette was biting her lip as she tried to swallow the laughter bubbling in her throat. Seriously, who wouldn't laugh if they saw a pregnant woman fast walking grumbling to herself about idiot hairdressers? The woman didn't even know where she was going!

"You can't tell anyone!" Kaiko shouted after her sister, who waved her off and disappeared behind a corner. A long sigh escaped her pink lips. Her sister could be quite a handful. To her right, she heard Serah sigh quietly.

"So… what do we do now?" Kaiko immediately regretted the question when she saw Serah's eyes lit up.

* * *

"Let's go in there!" The pinkette exclaimed dragging her friend by the arm into one of the many stores in the mall. Kaiko stared at the back of the shorter woman's head letting herself be dragged. She looked at the store's sign and frowned.

"Serah…This is a guy's store…" The pinkette nodded and continued to drag her friend behind her. "You need clothes for the trip, silly!"

"Um, do you even know what you're doing?" Kaiko asked as Serah looked through the clothes. The pinkette kept holding shirts in front of Kaiko only to shake her head in the end.

"Of course I do!" Serah answered and randomly took a magazine out of her purse. "I'm trying to get you to look like this." She pointed to a guy in one of the pictures in the magazine. The article above said 'Flower boys'. Kaiko blinked in confusion. "Flower boys? What's that?" Serah stared at her. "You really don't know?" She asked to what the brunette shook her head at. "You've had photo shoots with many of them! They're guys who kind of have a female appearance. In other words, pretty boys. Hold this." She told her and pushed a white t-shirt into her hands. She then moved to the pants section and looked around. She took a pair of blue jeans and held them in front of Kaiko. She then shook her head and put the jeans back.

Kaiko's eyebrow started to twitch slightly in annoyance. She wasn't much of a fan of shopping and it was starting to get on her nerves. She sat down in one of the seats by the dressing room and waited for the pinkette to finish.

A few minutes later Serah came back with a stack of clothes in her hands. Kaiko stood up raising an eyebrow as her friend wobbled her way towards her. "Here, try them on." Serah told her before pushing the clothes into her hands. Kaiko rolled her eyes and walked into the dressing room.

Serah sat down in one of the seats and checked the time on her cell. Then the brunette walked out wearing a blue plaid shirt and dark blue jeans. Serah gestured for her to twirl to what the brunette did with a slight look of irritation in her face. The pinkette nodded her approval and gestured for the brunette to try another outfit on.

Kaiko walked out again wearing a black blazer over a white button-down shirt, a blue tie and black pants. Serah quickly shook her head. "Too formal." Kaiko got into the dressing room and walked out with another outfit. "Why did I even picked that one?" The pinkette asked herself as she watched the brunette walk into the dressing room again. She then walked out wearing an open black vest over a white t-shirt, black knee-length shorts and a black hat. After more shakes of Serah's head than nods, the two went to the cash register and paid for the clothes. They went into others stores to buy swimming attires and a pair of boxers, to which Kaiko highly protested to. But Serah convinced her when she said it would look weird for a guy to be wearing girl undies.

"Now, we need to get you some shoes…" Serah muttered as they walked out of the mall. "Can't I just wear my shoes?" Kaiko asked the pink haired woman to get out of going into another store. Serah stared at her a little before nodding. "Fine…"

"I'm going home…" Kaiko muttered, stretching. The sun was starting to go down and she didn't feel like driving to her house at night "You want to stay the night?"

Serah just nodded and followed after her friend. When the two reached the brunette's apartment they took their shoes off and crashed onto the couch. Kaiko turned on the TV as Serah went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

"I'm gonna go make some popcorn." Kaiko said to no one in particular as she stood up and made her way to the kitchen. Putting the popcorn bag on the microwave and punching the time for the popcorn to cook, she leaned against the counter and waited. After it was done, she took an empty bowl out and poured the popcorn in it. Taking two cans of coke from the fridge, she made her way over to the living room. Sitting down comfortably, she ate popcorn silently until Serah came back, wearing one of her over-sized t-shirts and some shorts.

"Thanks." Serah said as Kaiko handed her the can of soda. The brunette nodded as she sat down next to her. A comfortable silence fell between the two, but it was broken when Kaiko spoke up.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Kairi…"

Serah shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's always fun to meet your sister." The pinkette added, laughing. "She's quite the character."

Kaiko rolled her eyes. "You have no idea…" The brunette was about to say something else until her cell phone rang. Taking the phone from the table in front of her, she looked at the phone's screen. "Speak of the devil… Hello?"

"Hey it's Kairi. Where are you?"

"Uh… in my home…?" Kaiko answered a little doubtfully.

"Oh, okay. Cool. Hey, I wasn't able to find her!" Came Kairi's slightly disappointed voice.

"…Who?"

"The bitch who cut your hair!"

The brunette twitched. "You called to tell me that?" She asked incredulously.

"…Yeah…"

"Okay, cool." Kaiko hanged up the phone and turned towards Serah. "That was Kairi just now… she called just to te-" She was cut off when her phone ranged again. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed it was her sister again.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Sorry, I don't know what happened the phone cut out. I just called to tell you I wasn't able to find that bitch who cut your hair."

Kaiko blinked. The hell is wrong with this woman? "Okay…cool." She hanged up again and turned towards Serah with an exasperated look. Before she could say anything her phone rang again.

"Dude! What?!" She answered, quite annoyed.

"Hey, why do you keep hanging up?" Kairi asked. She was pretty annoyed as well.

"Hey chill! It's a hang up not a break up…"

"Very funny. No, it's just you didn't say goodbye, so I wasn't sure-

"What?" Kaiko interrupted her, utterly confused.

"It's just common courtesy. You say goodbye so that you-"

"Since when do you have manners?" The brunette teased.

Wha-?! Oh whatever!"

And with that she hanged up. A small chuckle escaped Kaiko's lips. Her sister was so crazy. Deciding to humor her, she dialed her phone.

"What?" Came Kairi's slightly irritated voice from the speaker.

"But you didn't say goodbye…" Kaiko said in an overdramatic voice.

"Ha ha, funny sis…" Kairi laughed sarcastically. And with that the conversation was over. Kaiko turned towards Serah, who was chuckling to herself as she was able to hear Kairi's rather loud voice over the phone.

"See what I have to deal with?" The brunette said, placing her phone back on the table. Serah laughed and playfully pushed her arm.

"It's not that bad!" Serah told her, taking a sip from her soda can. Kaiko smiled to herself and turned towards the TV.

Another silence fell between the two as they quietly ate popcorn and watched the movie. As Kaiko tried to figure out who had the protagonist slept with, Serah shot up from her spot beside Kaiko, almost giving the poor brunette a heart attack. The photographer placed a hand on her chest, trying to control her breathing

"What the hell Serah?!"

"Sorry! Is just… I realized you're going to have to pretend you're a guy for two weeks!"

Kaiko stared at her blankly. "You figured this now?"

"What? No! That's not the point! We're gonna need to train!" Serah replied as she began to pace in the living room. Kaiko following her movements with her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Serah turned to face her. Her eyes almost shadowed by her bangs. Kaiko shrunk down a little into herself. She had to admit, the pinkette could be scary when she wanted to, and that evil gleam in her eyes… Kaiko didn't like it one bit. She flinched slightly when the pinkette pointed her index finger at her.

"Starting tomorrow, your training to become the perfect guy for two weeks will begin. We shall call it… **Operation: She's definitely a guy!"**

* * *

**Author's note: Alright! Quite the long chapter huh? I'm sorry if it bored you out... I'm not that proud of this chapter. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long. So sorry if it sucked! But summer's here! So, updates shall come faster!**

**So, I added another OC as you can see. Kaiko's family are all OCs, you will meet them along the way. Anyways, I hope you liked her... she's funny in my head, but I'm one of those people who can laugh at anything... I don't know if it's the same for you guys, lol. Oh that reminds me! I have a quick question! Would you guys mind if I crossed over a few characters from other Final Fantasy games? You see, I need a few more people, since there aren't many characters in Final Fantasy XIII. Of course, I can always just add OCs, but you know... I just thought it would be a little more easier and more familiar for you guys, since you would know them...unless you haven't played the games o.O**

**Well, review and let me know! Thanks for everyone who followed, favorite and reviewed! Feedback is always appreciated! Thank you! Mata ne! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Light poured through the window on Kaiko's room, falling on her face. She squirmed uncomfortably under the covers and turned on her side, away from the annoying morning light. She didn't want to wake up just yet, but just as sleep was about to consume her once more, something tickled her face. Wrinkling her nose, she swatted away whatever was bothering her and snuggled closer to her pillow. She twitched as the chirping of birds reached her ears. 'Damn birds…' She thought to herself. It was as if the universe was against her desire of sleeping more.

Groggily opening her droopy mint green eyes, she sat up and threw the covers off herself. She yawned and stretched as she walked out of her room and made her way over to the bathroom across her room. Looking at herself in the mirror, she ran a hand down her face. She really wanted to keep sleeping. She just knew today was gonna be ridiculously long, especially with the plans Serah had for her. She didn't really know what it was the girl was planning to do, but still, she just had the feeling. Turning on the sink, she leaned over and cupped her hands to fill them with water, after she had brushed her teeth. She didn't notice though, that as she was washing her face someone had walked in and was now leaning against the doorframe.

"Good, you're awake!" Kaiko jumped at the sudden voice, hitting her head with the cabinet on top of the sink in the process.

"Shit, Serah!" Placing her free hand on her head, she angrily whirled around and threw the towel she had taken to pat her skin dry to the pinkette.

"Sorry! I-I didn't think you'd be so startled!" Serah said in between laughs as she caught the towel easily. She walked over towards the brunette and lifted a hand to check the taller woman's head, who leaned away from her. Serah's eye twitched when the brunette kept backing away or swatted her hands away every time she tried to take a look at her head.

"Just let me take a look!"

Finally the pinkette was able to take a hold of the woman's head and slapped her hand away to get a clear view. She removed the hair from the slight bump starting to take form on her head and touched it, making the brunette wince slightly.

"There, there." Serah said teasingly as she placed a small kiss on top of Kaiko's head, who shot her a dead stare when she backed away. Chuckling, the pinkette took a hold of her arm and guided her towards the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Serah made the brunette sit down at the table and placed a plate of eggs and bacon before her.

Kaiko happily munched a mouthful of her breakfast, the bump on her head completely forgotten, when Serah joined her at the table carrying a stack of magazines. The brunette merely raised an eyebrow at the amount of magazines now placed neatly before her.

"You don't expect me to-"

"Yes." Serah cut her off, already knowing what the brunette was about to say. "You need to know this stuff, otherwise the guys will suspect something."

"Serah, I think I can manage to act like a dude without this things. I have a brother, remember? And I think I did pretty good the other day. " Kaiko said, placing the fork with food in her mouth. She really didn't want to read all that nonsense. Serah stared at her, before rolling her eyes.

"Kai, I don't doubt that you can, but its two weeks, not two hours. You're due to crack, but if we prepare…" Serah twitched when she noticed she was being ignored. 'Alright, I wanted to do this the easy way, but you left me no choice.'

"Hey!" Kaiko protested loudly when Serah took her plate away. She stood up and made to reach for the plate, but the pinkette just moved it away from her reach. "What's the deal, Serah?"

"Now, you either read at least one of those magazines, or no breakfast for you."

"But the food will get cold!" Kaiko cried as she tried to get the plate again, only to finish empty handed as Serah moved further away.

"Then you better hurry." Serah replied, smiling evilly at her friend. "One page, and I'll feed you a fork worth of food." Kaiko glared at her for a bit, before falling heavily on her seat. 'I swear she can be such a little girl sometimes.' The pinkette mused to herself as she watched her friend take one of the magazines randomly and begin to read with a deep scowl on her face.

"Good girl." Serah smiled and handed her a piece of bacon, which was taken harshly by the fuming brunette, making Serah chuckle.

* * *

"Okay! Now, show me what you've learned!" Serah exclaimed gripping a clipboard in her left hand and a pen in the other. Kaiko stared at her for a moment wondering where and when the woman had gotten the clipboard, as well as the red cap she whore on her head. She let out a sigh and dismissed the thought as they now stood on the beach of Bodhum.

The smaller pinkette had made her read most of those magazines by blackmailing her with different things. The food was the first one, then it was with her laptop, then her camera… like really, the pinkette knew how to get what she wanted. And if that wasn't enough, she actually made her watch a movie about some guy who wanted to win some girl that was out of his league or whatever. That was really unnecessary, she was sure that the pinkette just wanted to see the movie and knew she would say no. So, she used the excuse that it was for learning.

"Wait, what did I have to do again?"

"Maintain a conversation with a girl or get their number, all of this without giving away your gender of course." Serah reminded her. "Okay? 'Operation: She's definitely a guy' begin!"

Kaiko just blinked as she looked around the people in the beach. While getting the number would be easier, it'll be really uncomfortable and awkward for her. But it would be faster, and she would just throw the number away anyway, as mean as that sounded. Whatever, she'll just go with the flow then.

Breathing in the salty ocean air, she got into action. She wiped some of the sweat that was beginning to take form on her forehead and moved her bangs away from her eyes. The burning afternoon sun shined on her pale skin, making her cheeks turn somewhat pink thanks to the heat. She looked around herself and her eyes fell on Serah for a moment before turning away in search for a girl that seemed nice enough to talk to. As she had thought, the pinkette was watching her like a hawk, throwing any plans, thoughts or ideas she might've had of bailing out the window. She was in the middle of smoothing down the invisible wrinkles on her black knee-length shorts when she caught sight of a woman maybe a year or two younger than herself, eyeing her from a few feet away.

'Okay. This is my chance.' Kaiko thought to herself as she began to make her way over to the woman. Her steps smooth and casual, like the guys she had dated in the past and the ones she has seen in movies. If she did this smoothly she'll get Serah and her dumb operation off her back and use this last few days to catch up with most of her work, as well as preparing mentally for the trip.

The universe seemed to be on her side this time. The wind was blowing in her direction, making her hair move with it. And the sun was shining on her, making her seem like she was glowing thanks to the yellow hoodie she was sporting. In other words, she looked cool as she walked in the direction of the raven haired woman. Said woman was wearing a blue bikini top with black swimming bottoms. Just a few steps more and she would reach the woman. But the universe seemed to have a change of plans at the last minute.

"Gah!" A yelp escaped Kaiko's lips as the feeling of falling reached her senses. She has no idea what happened. One minute she was causally strolling towards the raven haired woman eyeing her, and then the next, she was eating sand. Even more strange she didn't feel the hard collision of sand against her body.

She propped herself up on her hands and knees, and noticed, with pure horror, that someone had broken her fall. That someone being a middle-aged woman who didn't seem very happy either. Kaiko quickly got off the woman, apologizing as she did. The woman glared her before her hand shot upwards.

**Smack.**

'Fucking universe…'

Serah, who was standing a few feet away and had seen everything, slapped a hand to her forehead. Everything seemed to be going so well… leave it to Kaiko to pull off something like that at the last minute. Furrowing her eyebrows, she took the pen and crossed the number one in her list.

1. Maintain a conversation or get a girl's number smoothly. Failed

* * *

Serah stifled a laugh, as she went in the kitchen, where she found a scowling Kaiko placing a bag of ice on her cheek. The poor brunette's cheek glowed a beet red, five fingers clearly printed on the usually pale skin.

"Well, that went well." Serah commented, earning a glare from the brunette.

"Yeah? Tell that to my cheek."

Serah frowned at the bitter response from the brunette and placed her hands on her hips in a scolding manner. "Hey! Drop the tone missy. I wasn't the one who decided to swoon a woman off her feet by falling on her."

Kaiko's scowl deepened and her lips pushed into a pout. Serah's frowned melted away at the childish expression.

"Let me get you some new ice." Serah said quietly. She took the ice packet from her friend's fingers and dumped the contents in the sink, replacing the old ice with new ones. "Keep the ice on for a while, but when you feel it starting to burn slightly, take it off for a few minutes. Then place it back again."

The brunette nodded and pressed the bag of ice back on her cheek. Silence filled the air for a few minutes before it was broken by Serah.

"You know, you actually looked pretty cool back there. Before the whole face-planting in the sand thing happened. I actually thought you were gonna pull it off."

Kaiko laughed at Serah's musings. "I thought so too."

"It's okay, though. Phase two of 'Operation: She's definitely a guy' will continue tomorrow, hopefully you'll pass this one."

Kaiko huffed and slouched over slightly. "Such an original name…" She said in obvious sarcasm.

**Smack.**

* * *

**Author's note: Chapter six done! Hope you guys liked it! Sorry it's so short... but hey! The last chapter was pretty long! Anyways... I went to Comic-con this year! It was amazing! I cosplayed as Lightning, since she's like my favorite character! I felt freaking famous! So many people asked to take pictures with me, people called me pretty and beautiful, and some came up to me to randomly hug me lol XD it was great... **

**Well, as always, thank you to everyone who followed, favorite and reviewed! It really means a lot to me when you guys tell me how I'm doing! It really warms my heart to know you're liking the story! :) **

**To PassingBy Guest: You're so sweet! Thank you so much! Your review literally made my day XD Lol. Ouran is one of my favorite animes, and since it has to do with crossdressing, I'm not surprised it has a resemblance XD. Anyways, thank you so much for the kind words! Really! Oh, and btw, your english was great! Would've never known it's not your first language if you hadn't pointed it out! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

"_U-um, N-Nakamura..."_

_The girl looked up from her sketch pad at the mention of her last name. Her eyes meeting with light blue-green ones, before the other person swiveled their gaze._

"_I-I uh, w-w-would you li- uh" He shook his head. His trembling hands tightening around the tickets for a concert he had gotten over a week ago. Slowly, he held out a shaky hand with the two tickets. _

"_W-would you go o-out w-w-with me?!" He asked in a quick shuttering manner, his eyes never leaving the ground. _

_Kaiko's posture stiffened as she stared wide-eyed at the boy. She could hear her friends giggle a little from behind her, and people who were passing by the table seemed to froze and stare at them. The girl didn't know what to do. Her mind had gone blank, and by now the boy had muster up the courage to look back at her. _

_But, before she could say anything, a small hand was placed on her arm. She looked at the owner of said hand and was surprised to see a little girl with a round face and wavy blonde hair._

"_Wake up." Was all that came out from the little girl's mouth. Kaiko's face scrunched up in confusion. _

"_Uh, what?"_

"_Wake up!"_

The brunette's eyes fluttered open and fell on big pools of jade. She blinked for a while before raising a hand to rub her eyes. Opening them again, she realized the pools of jade were actually eyes. She stared for a while, unblinkingly, trying to figure out what on Cocoon was happening at the moment. The person, who she now realize was on top of her, started giggling madly and it only took a couple of seconds for Kaiko to realize who it was.

"Morning aunt Kai!" A groan escaped Kaiko's lips. She lightly pushed the girl off of her, which evoked a round of giggles from the girl as she fell beside her aunt on the soft cushions.

"How did you get here you little monster?" Kaiko asked in a groggy voice as she sat up, stretched and turned to look at the six year old, who was now jumping on the bed.

That six year old was Kairi's daughter, Laelah. The girl was a practically a clone of her mother when she was little. From the round face to the hair. They have the same blonde hair, but Laelah's was wavy instead of straight like her mother's. She also has green eyes, but hers are jade green while Kairi's are mint green. She also has the same freckles and the same slightly pouty lips her mother used to have. But Laelah is quiet, well, more quiet than her mother that is, other than that their pretty much alike.

"Mommy dropped me off."

Kaiko twitched and bit on her tongue to keep from cursing in front of a child that would pretty much repeat it later on. It was just like her sister, to drop her daughter off without any warning whatsoever. She took in a deep breath and stretched an arm to take a hold of the blonde's arm to stop her jumping.

"And how did she get into my apartment?"

"Rygdea let us in." The girl answered simply and continued to jump on the bed while Kaiko pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

Rygdea was the owner of the building… and an idiot. He was nice and funny, but stupid. And she didn't have a doubt in her mind that the only thing Kairi had to say was that she was her sister, and he let her in. She swore, one day she was going to get robbed for the lack of intelligence the brown haired man had. She was gonna need to have a talk with him later on, but for now she was gonna have to deal with Laelah.

"Where did your mom go off to this time?" Kaiko asked the blonde, who had stopped jumping and was now staring at her.

"She had a doctor's appointment about the baby." Kaiko nodded and made her way over to her closet to look for a change of clothes. "Aunt Kai?" The brunette hummed in response to let the girl know she was listening. "Why do you look like a boy?"

The photographer blinked for a moment. The rather blunt question catching her a little off-guard. "Um, so… I'm guessing your dad was working… what was grandma doing? Kairi usually leaves you over there."

Laelah stared at her back for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know." And with that, the girl started to jump on the bed again. Kaiko sighed in relief as she was able to avoid the question successfully. Explaining this to her sister was one thing, but to her niece? She just didn't have the patience for all the questions the girl will most likely ask right now. She just woke up after all.

"Stay here." Kaiko ordered as she went into the bathroom. The dream she had, completely forgotten by now. After changing out of her pj's and doing her morning routine, she walked into her room and was not the least bit surprised when Laelah was nowhere to be seen. Why can't kids stay put in one place?

Heaving a sigh, Kaiko walked into the living room where she found Laelah staring intensely at some cartoon show on the TV.

"Have you eaten breakfast yet, kid?" The brunette asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Yeah." The girl answered, her eyes never leaving the TV.

"What'd you have?"

"Cereal."

Kaiko stared at the stove for a moment before deciding to eat the same thing as her niece. What? It was easier, plus she wouldn't have to cook and it was healthier…at least in her opinion. Serving herself a bowl of Picochu's cereal and milk, she sat down next to Laelah and stared blankly at the TV.

'What the fuck?' The thought echoed around Kaiko's head. 'What was wrong with kids these days?'

Breshan Bass were a rather disturbing sight for her. Seriously, the things were ugly. They were some sort of fish-frog thing with really sharp teeth. And right now, her niece was watching a show with Breshan Bass puppets… What the hell? That's freaking creepy, but it seemed to be entertaining to her niece. She would have been scarred for life if she were to see talking bass when little, she wasn't exactly the bravest kid back in the day. She was beginning to wonder if the show was even for kids, but the stupid dialogue quickly assured her that it indeed was for kids.

"Okay! Ready for phase two?!" Kaiko jumped slightly at the sudden voice and looked for the source, her eyes falling on the pinkette entering through the kitchen.

"Wha- Did Rygdea let you in too?" Kaiko asked surprised. Serah shook her head and put her things down on the table, before standing by the entry that connected the kitchen and the living room. "Then how? I took the key from the plant pot…"

"I got a copy, duh." The pinkette answered in a matter of fact tone, holding up a key in her hand.

"Um, when did you…uh, you know what? Nevermind." Kaiko decided not to ask. She will probably end up creeped out anyway. "I can't today. I have to take care of Laelah."

It was then that Serah noticed the other person in the room, whose eyes were glued to the TV. She lifted a hand to brush her bangs away from her eyes and then placed a hand on her hip as she thought.

"Well… Oh! I know! We'll skip to phase three then!"

"Uh, which is?"

"We'll meet a friend of mine that will be joining us on the trip later on." Serah smiled and mentally high fived herself. It was better if they practiced acting like a couple now in front of others. Plus, they didn't have much time anyway. The trip was in three days after all.

"But, what about Laelah?" Kaiko asked, glancing at the blonde next to her. Serah turned to face her with a deadpanned expression.

"She's coming with us, of course."

Kaiko stood up and followed Serah into the kitchen. The pinkette served herself a glass of orange juice and leaned on the counter.

"Serah. She'll blow my cover! She's six!"

Serah ignored her and walked back into the living room, taking a sip of her juice before placing it on the table before her. She stood in front of the TV, blocking the blonde's view. The girl stared at her for a moment, before her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Serah!" The girl quickly stood up and made a dash towards the pinkette. Serah smiled and hugged the girl back.

"Hi! How are you?"

"I'm great!" Laelah answered, beaming up at the pinkette. Serah smiled again and kneeled to be at eye level with the six year old.

"Hey, how about we play a game?" Serah asked. Kaiko watched in amusement as Laelah seemed to perk up at the word 'game'.

"What kind of game?" The blonde asked quickly, looking at Serah curiously.

* * *

"So, what I have to do is call aunt Kai, 'uncle' Kai for today?"

Serah nodded at Laelah's question as they walked out of Kaiko's apartment building. She had already called her friend and they would be meeting at Crypto's for ice cream. Why ice cream? Laelah insisted on it, more like bribed them. She was as manipulative as her mother. Plus, it was her 'reward' for playing along.

"And aunt Kai- I mean 'uncle' Kai is your… 'special' friend?" Laelah asked as they were about to cross the street and Kaiko took a hold of her hand.

"Yes, but only in the game." Kaiko answered her niece. When they reached Kaiko's car, the brunette buckled the girl's seatbelt as Serah sat in the passenger seat.

"Do you like Serah, 'uncle' Kai?" The blonde asked innocently once Kaiko was seated on the driver's seat. The brunette in question started the car and looked back at Laelah, before looking over at Serah. The pinkette smiled at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Not like that. And right now… I don't like her at all." The photographer answered, her face in a perfect poker face as she put the car into motion and began to drive towards the ice cream shop. Serah pouted, before rolling her eyes while laughing. She then looked back at the little girl and shook her head.

"So, who are we supposed to meet?" Kaiko asked after a few minutes of silence.

"You don't know her." Serah answered and looked out the window. Kaiko frowned, but didn't say anything. It wasn't long before they reached the ice cream shop. Kaiko parked the car and the trio was now walking towards the store, with Laelah being in the middle of the two, holding their hands.

"So, how long is this game?" Laelah asked once they were in the store.

"Till we reach home, okay?" Kaiko replied, making the blonde nod. "Well, what do you wanna have?" She asked the girl as Serah sat down in one of the tables and texted her friend to let her know she was already in the store.

"Chocolate!" Laelah replied quickly, a bright smile on her face.

Kaiko chuckled and nodded. "How many scoops?" The girl held up two fingers and Kaiko chuckled once more. She told the boy behind the counter what the girl wanted and then gave the cone of ice cream to her niece, whose smile seemed to brighten a few kilowatts more. She then turned to the ice cream's being displayed, thinking of what to get for herself. She was debating with herself whether to get chocolate or pistachio, but she wasn't able to ponder much on the thought when a perky voice broke her concentration.

"Serah!"

'Guess it's time. I better act my ass off.'

* * *

**Author's note: Okay! That's it for now! I left a cliffhanger there...This was pretty much a filler, but there was a piece of information there that will prove important later on... :D**

**Well, only three days left 'till the trip. We shall see how Kaiko manages, huh? XD Hope it doesn't all blow up in her face...lol I'm saying this as if I didn't know what is going to happen XD... Anyways another character has been introduced! The lovely Laelah...I hope I was able to portray her as a kid and not an adult... I don't know how I did with that much. The next chapter will be uploaded in a couple of days...maybe two if you guys want me to, I don't mind really... Let me know! I've been lazying around in my house doing nothing, since summer break is on! yay... I'm so ashamed, lol...ok I'll stop talking nonsense that you guys don't care about... Oh another thing! I'm going to draw Kaiko some time...this week, maybe, and I'll put it as the cover pic, so you guys can have an image of how I see her. So, keep a look out for that!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorite and reviewed! Hope you guys liked the pretty much uneventful chapter... Next one will be better! ;) Mata ne!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Long read ahead...enjoy!**

* * *

Kaiko cringed as the two woman squealed rather loudly and hugged each other. The brunette just stood there by the store's counter alongside her niece, watching the whole scene in amusement. The two friends then began talking animatedly, completely engrossed in their conversation about who knows what and forgetting about the people around them apparently.

Kaiko took the chance to take a good look at Serah's friend. To say she was bemused was an understatement. She wasn't sure if the short woman was a teen or an adult. Well, the woman wasn't really short, she was about Serah's height, but they were both shorter than Kaiko anyways. She was wearing a light pink t-shirt with a yellow skirt and beige boots. She also had lots of bracelets and beaded necklaces. The woman had bright red hair pulled in two curled pigtails… pigtails! But that wasn't what bewildered the brunette the most. It was the woman's rather high pitched, accented voice. It had a bit of a childish tint to it, but in a strange way…it fits her, especially with that carefree aura she has around her. It wasn't hard to tell that she was from Pulse, since the accent was quite thick. Her emerald green eyes glimmered with a somewhat, childish happiness as she spoke with Serah, a few squeals escaping her pink lips now and then.

Kaiko shook her head and turned to order a chocolate ice cream. If she stared any longer she would look like some sort of creep, and she was none of the sorts. Taking the ice cream, she took her wallet out from her back pocket to pay for the two ice creams. The brunette pondered on how she would introduce herself. Should she just go over there and sit? Should she say something? Should she just wait for Serah to call her over? Her heart started to pound quickly as panic began to sink in. Giving the money to the employee, she awkwardly stood in place. With all those thoughts swirling in her head, it wouldn't be long before a headache would begin. What _should_ she do? Luckily, Serah had already made the decision for her.

"Kai!" The brunette quickly turned around, a bit startled. Serah motioned for her to come over with a hand gesture and a pointed look, which the redhead wasn't able to see since she was looking directly at Kaiko.

The photographer took a deep breath. Taking her niece's hand, she walked towards the women. Her eyes were on Serah the whole time, and would sometimes swivel towards the redhead nervously. When she reached them, Laelah quickly took a seat at the booth before them and happily licked her ice cream. Kaiko turned her attention towards the two and smiled.

"Kai, this is Vanille. Vanille, this is my boyfriend, Kai." Serah introduced the two.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Kaiko smiled boyishly and extended a hand for the grinning redhead to shake. She was more than startled though, when the redhead slapped her hand away. Kaiko awkwardly retracted her hand back to her side and looked at the redhead with a confused expression. "Um… I- Uff!"

The brunette wasn't able to finish whatever she was about to say. Her eyes widened and a small gasp had escaped her lips as her ice cream almost fell off her hand. For at that moment, the redhead crashed her body against hers and threw her arms around her neck in an exaggeratedly, tight hug.

"You're so cute!" The redhead squealed in her ear.

Kaiko was stunned to say the least. She stood frozen in place. What the fuck? Was she supposed to hug her back? This was getting too awkward too fast for Kaiko. She barely hugs the people she does know, and this crazy redhead, who she had just met, was hugging her as if they were longtime friends. She shot a questioning look at Serah who only smiled back at her.

The pinkette let out a relieved sigh. It was a good thing she had decided to make Kaiko bind her chest. She knew Vanille was quite touchy-feely and she knew for a fact that the redhead would hug Kaiko, but Serah expected it to be after the meeting so, she was a little surprised as well.

Vanille let go, but didn't pull away, and took Kaiko's free hand in hers. "I think we're going to be really fast friends!" The redhead stated brightly, her face a little too close for comfort to Kaiko's.

"Uh, umm… he he, okay…?" Kaiko laughed nervously, her left eyebrow twitching slightly. When Vanille finally let her go she shot Serah a 'what the fuck?' look. The pinkette just smiled and cleared her throat to disguise the laugh bubbling up in her throat.

"Oh, and who's this?" Kaiko turned at the redhead's voice and noticed she was looking at Laelah. The girl had stopped licking her ice cream to look at Serah, who sat down next to her on the booth.

"This is Kai's niece, Laelah." Serah replied as Vanille sat down across the blonde, smiling gently at the girl. The blonde looked at Vanille questioningly, but shrugged and continued to lick her ice cream.

Kaiko looked at the only seat available which was right beside the crazy redhead. Heaving a sigh, she sat down and licked her already melting ice cream. Her nerves had gone down already. The redhead was crazy, but the warm aura that surrounded her calmed her down. She was grateful that it wasn't going to be like the dinner she had with Lightning and Fang. Now, _that _was uncomfortable…

"I've wanted to meet you ever since Fang told me Serah had a boyfriend." Vanille said, smiling at Kaiko. The brunette looked at her questioningly. "Fang had to come here to Cocoon because of work, so I tagged along."

"How long are you staying here anyways? The trip is in three days after all." Serah asked the redhead.

"Actually, we're leaving today. I just couldn't wait to see you!" Vanille exclaimed, tilting her head and smiling sweetly at Serah. The pinkette laughed softly and shook her head a little at Vanille's antics. "And you!" She added looking at Kaiko, who was in the process of biting into her cone.

"Uncle Kai." Kaiko turned her head towards her niece, who wasn't paying attention to much of anything due to being busy with her ice cream, and sweatdropped. The girl had chocolate ice cream around her mouth, on her nose, hands and shirt. She practically had half of the ice cream on her. What was more amusing was that she was completely clean like five seconds ago.

Serah chuckled and stood up. "C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up."

'Oh shit… Dude no!' Kaiko screamed in her head, her eyes wide with pleading as she looked at Serah. The pinkette made a strict face at her and tugged Laelah to the bathroom. 'Fuck…' Kaiko thought, sulking in her seat a little, completely unnoticed by the oblivious redhead.

"So," Vanille started, scooting closer to Kaiko, the brunette watching her from the corner of her eye. "How did you guys meet?" She asked excitedly, placing her elbow on the table and resting her cheek on her open palm.

Kaiko slowly chew the bite of the ice cream cone she had in her mouth and then swallowed. Of course the woman would ask a question like that when Serah leaves the room… Now, what was she going to make up? _And_ make it seem believable? She wasn't exactly the most creative one when it came to telling or writing stories. She almost failed her creative writing class for a reason. As a photographer she lets the pictures speak for themselves. There's always a story behind a picture and it's the photographer's job to portray it, but sadly… there was no picture that could help her now.

"Well, uh… I'm a photographer…" The brunette started awkwardly. The redhead nodded and beamed back at her, urging her to continue. "And uh, Serah is…um…"

'Fucking shit!' She had no idea what she was saying, or what she was going to say. She's not good with this stuff, Serah is. Beads of sweat began to take form on the back of her neck and her breathing picked up a little. Panic rising up again. What was taking Serah so long?

"Oh, I totally know how it happened!" Kaiko was a little bit startled when the redhead suddenly spoke up. She slowly turned her head towards her.

"You do?"

"Mhmm! You must have seen her on the beach, or something, and once you saw her you just couldn't help yourself and took a picture of her! But Serah noticed! So she came up to you-" Kaiko stared at the redhead with an eyebrow raised, as she rambled on excitedly about how she met Serah. It was quite amusing to say the least. The woman was staring into space, probably imagining the whole scene, an almost dreamy and far off look on her face. "So, she demanded you to erase the picture! But you didn't want to, because the picture was just perfect! So, you told her how you were a photographer and how you would like to meet up with her for a shooting! You exchanged numbers and then met up with her! From then on you asked her to be your partner in business, but in reality you just wanted to be close to her-"

Kaiko bit on her bottom lip to hold back the smile threatening to coil up on her lips. She liked this redhead. She just saved her from messing everything up. Plus, she was funny. They would probably be great friends… if she wasn't lying and pretending to be a guy.

"And so, you asked her out and she said yes, because she was secretly crushing on you too!" The redhead finished with a clap of her hands. She turned towards Kaiko and tilted her head to the side. "Well, how'd I do?"

The photographer blinked for a minute, processing what the redhead had quickly rambled. It wasn't that easy to keep up with the words the redhead had blurted out, not only was it fast, but her accent made it a little harder to understand.

"Uh, yeah… That's uh, pretty much how it went. Ha ha…" The photographer answered, avoiding eye contact.

"See! I'm totally good with this subjects." The redhead smiled cheerfully and Kaiko smiled as well. But then, the woman's face turned serious, causing Kaiko to raise an eyebrow.

"Umm, what's wrong?"

"Do you love her?"

"What?"

"Do you love her?"

"…Yes." The woman currently disguised as a man answered. Her voice quivered a little and sounded uncertain in Vanille's ears, causing a bit of worry to rise within the redhead.

"Then, how serious are you?"

"Hmm?"

"How serious are you about Serah?" Vanille asked again.

Kaiko looked right into the redhead's eyes. She felt the urge to laugh at that moment, but she wasn't going to do it for obvious reasons. She knew the redhead was serious about the question, but the way her mouth occasionally twitched as she tried to keep a straight face was just killing the seriousness of it all. But the thing is, she wasn't sure what to say. She had never been asked a question like that.

"Serious enough that I'm going with her to meet her family." Kaiko replied, her face completely void of emotion. 'Which will probably be the end of me.'

Vanille studied her expression for a while and nodded. "Okay." She said quietly, her face breaking into a smile.

"Sorry it took so long." The two turned towards the voice. "I tried to take out most of the chocolate stains on her shirt." Serah apologized, letting Laelah slide into her seat before sitting down herself. "What have you guys been talking about?"

"How we met." Kaiko almost hissed out.

Serah grimaced a little. She will never hear the end of this. Kaiko will probably snap at her for leaving her to fend for herself for the second time already when they got to her apartment.

"Uncle Kai, I'm tired! Can we go home now?" Laelah whined, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Not yet, kiddo." Kaiko replied, smirking a little at the six year old, who scowled back at her in return. Stifling her laughter, she took her phone out from her pocket and handed it to the blonde. Laelah beamed at her and quickly took the phone from the brunette's hand.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

What could she have possibly done so badly in her past life? The universe was just out to get her... _again_. It just seemed to enjoy watching her suffer.

Kaiko stood up to throw away the napkin she used to wipe the sides of her mouth after eating her ice cream, while Serah and Vanille catch up. The two were talking about what they had done in the last months they hadn't seen each other, plans for the get-together, and she wouldn't be surprised if they were now talking about her.

"Hey." She heard a smooth voice from behind her. She turned around slowly to see if the greeting was aimed at her. When she saw the woman looking directly at her she realized the greeting was indeed for her. It wasn't just any woman though, it was the same one that had been eyeing her at the beach and the same one that had seen her eat sand.

"Um, hi..." The brunette replied awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. She was about to turn around and head back to the booth with the others, but the woman stopped her.

"I see the slap that lady gave you didn't leave any marks on that pretty little face of yours. I'm glad." The woman smiled, taking a step closer to Kaiko and reaching a hand to touch her pale cheek.

The brunette took a step back reflexively. She laughed, a little embarrassed and creeped out. "Yeah… I'm uh… gonna go over there now." She answered curtly, pointing and almost running towards the girls.

She reached the booth and sat down with a small sweatdrop on the side of her head. Serah looked at her and shot her an odd look, but it quickly vanished as a gentle smile spread across her lips. Kaiko noticed Vanille looking at her. The redhead seemed to be expecting something to happen. Seeing this, the brunette decided to put on a show.

Taking Serah's hands with both of hers, she shot her a charming smile… Well, at least she thought it was. Serah raised an eyebrow in confusion, but she quickly caught on with what Kaiko was doing and giggled a little, looking at her shyly. From the corner of her eye, she could see Vanille smiling slightly and mentally gave herself a thumbs up.

"I knew there was something between you two!"

Kaiko almost choked on her own saliva in surprise. Time seemed to stop as she and Serah stared at each other with wide eyes. Kaiko's face somehow manages to contort into one of such sheer horror, that her face is almost unrecognizable. 'Oh my God. No! Why?'

"Mommy, Daddy!" Laelah stood up on her seat and jumped over Serah, falling in her father's arms.

'Seriously?' Kaiko thought to herself incredulously. Her sister just has an amazing timing. Now, she just hoped Kairi would use that brain of hers and get what was happening. But, apparently her sister forgot all about the conversation they had a few days ago.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you!"

'What the fuck? Fucking . crazy. sister.' Kaiko swore in her head, a scowl taking over her features as she narrowed her eyes at the blonde. Kairi's husband, Dan, smiled awkwardly and handed Kaiko her phone back. With a quick farewell, he fast-walked out of the store with Laelah on his arms.

He was a nice, funny guy with light brown hair, a few of it starting to gray, and warm brown eyes. Kaiko just couldn't understand why he would marry her sister. The woman was insane! But they seemed to love each other… you know, when her sister wasn't throwing one of her crazy fits.

"What are you doing here, Kairi?" The brunette groaned out, rubbing one of her temples. She already felt a headache coming on. From the corner of her eye, she could see Serah smile at Vanille awkwardly. The redhead must have looked at her questioningly.

"We were on our way to your apartment and I had a craving for ice cream, but that's not the point!" The blonde sat down beside Serah, after pushing the smaller pinkette. "Why'd you make up all that crap about preten- Ow!"

Kairi was interrupted by Kaiko 'gently' placing her foot on top of hers. Serah and Vanille looked from one sibling to the other. Serah's stare screamed worry, while Vanille's was filled with curiosity.

"Why you little-!" The blonde was about to get up, her hands raised in front of her as if she was about to strangle the brunette, but stopped when she caught sight of the redhead beside Kaiko. "Um… who are you? Don't tell me... you're dating two! And you took Laelah with you!"

"First of all, No! Second of all, you left your daughter in my apartment with no warning whatsoever, you psychopath!"

The blonde ignored her and looked directly at the redhead. "Who are you?"

Kaiko sighed a little in relief when the woman changed the subject. The blonde was now looking at Vanille with an eyebrow raised. Kaiko turned to look at the redhead, who looked a little surprised at being called out so suddenly. She felt a little bad for her. Kairi's craziness can sometimes come off as intimidating.

"I'm Vanille." The redhead smiled with a tilt of her head. "And you are?"

"I'm Kairi, stupid's sister." The blonde replied, nodding towards the only brunette at the table.

Kaiko scowled, and her ears got red in anger or embarrassment, maybe both. "Kairi, out." She said, pointing at the door.

Kairi raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when Dan walked into the store. "Honey, c'mon. Give Kai a break. We have to go."

"Bu-"

"Let's go, you need to rest."

"Fine." Kairi stood up, her eyes narrowed at Kaiko. The brunette shot Dan a grateful smile and watched as Kairi reluctantly walked towards the door. "Later sis!" And with that the blonde walked out the door.

"…"

"…"

"…sis?"

'**Shit!**' Kaiko and Serah thought simultaneously.

* * *

Did she just heard right? That blonde woman had just called Kai 'sis', right? Maybe she was talking to Serah…but wouldn't it be too soon to call her that? What was going on?

"…sis?" Vanille asked, looking at her companions with confusion. She raised a bewildered eyebrow when Kai lowered his forehead onto the table, almost in slow motion. Seeing as the boy wasn't going to answer her, she turned towards Serah for an answer. The pinkette flinched a little when her eyes met hers and laughed weirdly, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

"Kairi just… likes to tease Kai like that!" The pinkette answered quickly nodding a little. Vanille turned her gaze towards the brunette only to see him raise his head and stare at Serah blankly. "Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault your sister wanted a little sister!"

Vanille chortled a little as she realized the situation. This made the photographer turn to look at her, one of his eyebrows was raised and his eye twitched a little. "You think it's funny? You wouldn't be laughing if you actually lived with her…" Vanille let out a soft giggle and lightly pushed the brunette by the shoulder. Kai smiled at her a little and he rested his head on the table again.

The redhead turned towards Serah, about to tease the woman a little about having a girly boyfriend, but at that moment, her phone vibrated in her handbag. Taking her phone out, she read the text from Fang asking her where she was and that it was almost time to go. She sighed a little and looked up to find Serah looking at her questioningly.

"I gotta go. I have to pick up my luggage so we can leave." The redhead said as she made to stand up.

Catching the hint, Serah lightly bumped her fist on Kai's head making him jump a little and look up at her startled. The pinkette nodded towards Vanille, the photographer turned towards the redhead and realized she wanted to get up. The brunette slid out of the seat and Vanille did so as well. The group then slipped out of the store and bid their farewells.

ᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥᴥ

"Fang! I'm back!" Vanille called out as she entered the motel room, surprising Fang a little, who was in the middle of picking up their luggage.

"About time, yeah?" The taller woman teased as Vanille picked up her own suitcase. "Where were you anyways?"

"I met Serah's boyfriend today!" The redhead smiled excitedly, putting down her suitcases by the door and standing before Fang.

The raven haired woman's eyebrows rose in amusement and a smirk spread across her lips. "Well?"

"Things are going to be really interesting." The redhead giggled. Fang laughed a little and they both walked out the door after taking all their belongings.

* * *

"Holly shit! That was so close!"

Serah closed the door behind her, nodding a little at Kaiko's exclamation. She was exhausted. "Well, everything worked out fine. I think we'll be okay for two weeks." The pinkette said, crashing on the sofa. She turned on the TV, but wasn't able to see much. Kaiko stood in front of her, her hands placed firmly on her hips in a scolding manner.

"What?" Serah asked innocently.

"What do you mean what?" Kaiko finally snapped. "Kairi almost ruined everything! You left me there by myself with Red, where I could have screwed up real badly!"

"…But you didn't." Serah replied quietly.

Kaiko stared at her with wide eyes and her brows furrowed together, her jaw slightly ajar. She sat down next to Serah after a few minutes without saying anything. She could feel Serah's eyes on her. Before any of them could say anything Kaiko's cellphone rang. She took the device from her pocket and scowled at the familiar number.

"Hello?" She answered after seething her anger.

"Hello? Is this Strigoi's pizza? Yeah I'd like that handmade pizza for 15 gil, with pickles, ham, bacon-

Kaiko blinked and look at the cell's screen. "Wow, back u-"

"What do you mean you don't have bacon?"

"Kairi! Wrong number!"

"No, this is Strigoi's pizza! And how'd you know my name?"

"Because I have caller ID! It's Kaiko..."

"Kaito? Wow! What are you doing working over there at Strigoi's?" Came Kairi's happy reply.

"Dude!"

"Anyways let me tell you what happened the other day-"

"Ugh! Kairi! I'm not the stinking pizza girl! I can't get your fucking pickle, bacon and ham pizza or whatever you're trying to order! You psycho!"

"…" Kaiko looked towards Serah who was staring at her with a hand clasped on her mouth, her body shaking with laughter.

"…Kaiko? Oh...Umm, my bad." And with that the line went dead.

"Sisters…"

* * *

**Author's note: Longest chapter of my life... I hope you guys enjoyed it! I did it super long just in case I wasn't able to update for a while, cause I have to take care of grandmother. She's going to get an operation and my parents have to work. So, I have to stay at the hospital with her through the day with my cousin. It's cool though, I love hospitals... o.O no I don't. But I don't hate them :D**

**Man... Kaiko swore a lot in this chapter... Please excuse her XD If you guys haven't noticed most of the names of places in the story are from actual enemies in the game like Krypto, Orion and Strigoi lol XD...just thought I'd let you know.**

**Thank you to all of you guys for following, putting this story in your favorites and reviewing! It really means a lot to me! Please let me know what you guys think so far! Again Thank you! And I hope this chapter wasn't boring or anything... yeah :D Mata ne!**


	9. Chapter 9

A soft grumble escaped Serah's lips as she watched Kaiko pass in front of the TV for the twentieth time, or was it the thirtieth?…she lost count. Yes, she was sure the brunette would make a trail on the floor by now with how much she was pacing, and it was starting to get on her nerves. The pinkette was sitting on Kaiko's couch watching the latest episode of Drone, well, more like _trying _to watch it. She didn't even know what had the brunette so worked up, but she wanted to watch her show! She missed it yesterday due to her exhaustion, luckily though, Kaiko had recorded it for her. But she could barely see or hear the show for that matter. As the brunette paced, she kept mumbling stuff to herself, so Serah kept leaning to the sides just to catch small glimpses of what was happening on the TV. 'Why couldn't she just take her pacing to the kitchen?' Letting out an irritated sound, Serah stood up, placing her hands on her hips firmly.

"Kaiko!" The brunette sharply turned her head towards Serah, stopping dead in her tracks. Her green eyes were a bit wide in surprise, as if she had forgotten all about Serah's presence in the room. "Sit!" The pinkette commanded, pointing her index finger down to show her point.

Her brows rose in amusement however, when Kaiko immediately sat down on her knees… on the floor. She fumbled with her words for a bit, blinking at the scene. The brunette was looking up at her with what could only be described as an innocent expression. Her bright mint green eyes sparkled with a bit of curiosity, but worry was evident in them. A small pink hue was spread across her cheeks and Serah could only guess it was out of embarrassment. The photographer was also chewing on her bottom lip and her hands were tightly clasped on her lap. And for a moment, Serah was reminded of a puppy as she looked down at her friend. Shaking her head of her thoughts, she shot a glance at the couch behind her before facing Kaiko.

"Um... I meant on the couch…" Serah whispered, before scratching her cheek. "I- uh... never mind. What's wrong?"

Kaiko tilted her head to the side, and Serah could almost picture the woman with dog ears on the top of her head. "What do you mean?"

Serah shot her a dead stare. She felt like hitting the woman before her. Like seriously, she has been pacing for almost half an hour now. And Serah would know, because her show lasts half an hour and she has no idea what the plot was in today's episode, well, yesterday's episode that is. She took in a deep breath through her nose to keep in any urges of hurting her friend.

"Kai, you've been pacing and mumbling to yourself for quite some time now." Serah stated, sitting down on the couch. She picked up the remote and paused the show. Kaiko sighed and ran a hand through her hair. When Serah noticed the brunette wasn't going to move from her place on the ground, she patted the seat next to her. The brunette breathed out another sigh before sitting down next to her friend.

"I guess I'm just a bit nervous…" The brunette fiddled with her fingers, biting down on her lip.

'A bit? Now that would be an understatement…' Serah thought, raising a pink eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because… of all this!" Kaiko's sudden outburst made Serah jump slightly in her seat. She bit the insides of her cheeks when the brunette stood up and started to pace once again. "It's all your fault I'm like this! I mean, we're leaving for Pulse tomorrow! Tomorrow Serah! And you're just sitting here like nothing! Why?"

Serah stared at Kaiko for a while in silence. Of course she was nervous as well, but she decided not to worry about the subject until they were actually there. There's no point in freaking out now.

"Your hair will start to grey from worrying so much…" The pinkette stated with a straight face. Kaiko raised a hand to touch her hair before glaring at the pinkette.

"Serah, I'm serious."

The younger Farron laughed, standing up to place a comforting hand on Kaiko's shoulder. "Don't worry about it for now, okay? Let's just wait until we're actually there to worry." The brunette opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by Serah. "Now, why don't you head over to Beach House, get yourself a hot chocolate and a macadamia cookie, and relax, hmm?" She spoke in a tone that sounded more like she was talking to a child.

Kaiko clicked her tongue, frowning at the tone the woman had used with her. But, she walked up to the front door anyways to put her shoes on. Serah watched her as she finished tying her shoes and placed her wig on her head. "Bring me a cappuccino and a cookie, yeah?" The pinkette called out after her. Kaiko gave her an 'okay' sign with her fingers and walked out the door after taking her keys.

Serah breathed out a content sigh, sitting herself down on the couch. She snuggled comfortably into the couch before pressing play on the remote. She frowned though, when the show didn't start playing. "What? Don't tell me…" She fiddled with the remote, but nothing happened. Out of frustration, she began to hit it. Not her brightest idea though. When she looked up at the screen again, a sign asking her if she wished to delete the clip popped up.

"What?! No, no, no, no, no!" She immediately stood up, pressing the cancel button repeatedly, but apparently the TV had other plans.

"…" Her jaw couldn't have dropped any further. Another sign had popped out on the TV, one that said that the clip had been deleted. Now she would have to wait until the marathon… on Friday…next week…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

"The usual please, but I'll take the chocolate and my cookie for here."

Lebreau nodded at the brunette's request and smiled. "You don't have work today? It's unusually late to see you at this hour of the day." The raven haired woman started as she got her order ready.

Kaiko looked at the clock behind the counter, which read it was around three in the afternoon, and shrugged, taking a seat in one of the stools. "I closed the studio a few days ago, until I get back in two weeks." When Lebreau raised a questioning eyebrow, she continued. "I'll be going on vacation."

"Ah, I see." The raven haired woman placed a cup of hot chocolate on the counter for her to take and handed her the cookie on a napkin.

"Are you on your own today?" Kaiko asked, taking a sip of her chocolate, only to hiss out a curse when she burnt her tongue. She figured she could spark up a conversation with the woman, since there were no costumers in line waiting to order, just a few regulars here and there.

"Hmm? Oh, no. The boys are in the back." The woman replied, pointing a finger behind herself. At that moment, Maqui walked in through the _Employees only _door carrying two boxes in his arms, followed by Yuj, who was picking at his nails.

"Man, I am beat!" The blonde boy exclaimed, placing the boxes on the floor and slouching forward.

"What are you talking about? You just started like fifteen minutes ago?" The café owner deadpanned, a small vein popping out of her temple.

"Yeah, but Yuj's been making me carry all the boxes!" The blonde whined, taking a hold of Lebreau's arm, who merely raised an eyebrow and smacked his hand away. "Ow- Oh, hey Kai!" The boy quickly greeted when he caught sight of the photographer. Said woman smiled and lifted two fingers to salute the blonde, who in turn, grinned back.

"So, what brings you here?" Maqui asked, leaning his arms against the counter. Kaiko lifted her cup of chocolate and shook it a bit with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk playing at her lips. The blonde laughed and a small blush spread across his round cheeks.

"Besides seeing me, why else would she be here?" Yuj questioned, looking up from his nails. Kaiko looked over at him arching an amused eyebrow. The blue haired man ignored her stare, focusing his attention on the fidgeting blonde.

Maqui scratched the back of his head, smiling in embarrassment with his eyes closed. "I-I um, have to…go now…" Kaiko watched in amusement as the boy backed away into the _employee's only_ door, but not before knocking down some of the coffee cups, which luckily, were empty.

"S-sorry." The blonde apologized, trying to put all the cups in order, only to make a bigger mess. Kaiko turned her gaze towards the owner of the café, who practically had a dark aura surrounding her body.

"Maqui…" Lebreau pointed a finger at the backdoor. Her normally cheerful and warm brown eyes, shadowed by her bangs. Maqui didn't need to hear anything else, only the mere sight of Lebreau in her current state scared him half to death and had him all but running to the back of the café.

Kaiko sweat dropped at the sight. She would've done the same thing if the mood was directed at her though. Standing up, the brunette began to make her way over to one of the tables closest to the TV.

"Yeah, just ignore my existence." Yuj spoke up sarcastically. Kaiko felt her lips coil up against her will, and turned to look over her shoulder at the blue haired man, who was resting his arms against the counter wearing a small smirk on his face.

Kaiko shook her head at him and continued on her way. When she got settled down on her seat, she looked over at Yuj, only to see him get wacked over the head by Lebreau. The man quickly whirled around and questioned the raven haired woman as to why she had hit him. She didn't answer though, and only stared at him blankly. Yuj must have understood the look the woman had given him, for, a few seconds later he walked out the door Maqui had gone through merely minutes ago. Kaiko laughed to herself a little and then turned towards the TV, taking small sips of her chocolate now and then.

She was glad she came here. She felt so much more relaxed now. It was a good thing she got out of the house, because if she stayed there any longer, she would've gone insane. She didn't understand how Serah could be so calm. The pinkette was usually like that though, Kaiko wasn't that surprised, but this was still a pretty big deal. Once they arrive in Pulse, they would have to lie to a bunch of people, who will probably be really nice, and that just makes her feel all the more guilty. And she wasn't that big of a liar either. She felt like her stomach twisted itself while doing backflips every time she lied. Serah had told her it would be the same thing as in high school, since people often mistook her for a male back then. Most of those people being girls that often stalked her to places until she got annoyed and yelled at them that she was indeed, female. Kaiko didn't understand how they could easily mistake her for a guy. To her, she looked pretty feminine. She was sure it was because of her figure and hair, but still, her face could have given her away. Maybe they were just that desperate.

"Who was desperate?"

Kaiko snapped her head around at the sudden voice. Her eyes falling in pools of amber, before focusing on the familiar face. Her cheeks tinted a light shade of pink when she realized she had said that out loud and just how close she was to Yuj's face. The man let out a soft laugh when Kaiko roughly pushed him away and turned towards the TV.

"Don't you have work to do?" Kaiko asked, and Yuj had to strain his ears a bit just to hear her, since she was facing the other way.

"Yes, but I still have breaks, you know." The amber eyed man replied, sitting down in the seat across from her. "So, can I ask you a question?"

"No." Kaiko replied curtly, trying to focus her attention on the TV.

"But you don't know what I was going to ask!"

"Fine. What's the question?" Kaiko asked, turning her head to look at him from the corner of her eye.

"Okay." Yuj looked at her directly in the eye, his face completely serious, and took one of her hands in his. "Would you…" His gaze swiveled from her eyes, to her hands before finally focusing on her eyes once more. Kaiko swallowed, feeling a bit nervous at the sudden change of mood. "…finally tell me what you did to your hair? Cause seriously, its killing me! That is _not _your natural hair color."

"…" A small sweat drop made its way down Kaiko's temple. 'Seriously?' Freeing her hand from Yuj's grip, she took half of her cookie and launched it at the man's face.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?" The blunette asked after barely dodging the projectile. He raised his arms in surrender however, when he saw the scowl on Kaiko's face. "Alright, alright." Yuj laughed. "I'll leave you alone." He got up from the seat and turned to leave, but not before throwing a wink in her direction.

Kaiko let out a soft sigh, her cheeks returning to their normal color. 'Stupid Yuj. Stupid.' She looked up at the TV's screen, a small pout on her lips. She took a bite out of her cookie, scolding herself for wasting half of it on the idiot. She felt a bit relieved though. By how serious Yuj looked, she though he was gonna ask something equally serious. But no, he had to ask about her hair! 'I'll just pretend that wasn't weird… or awkward…' She thought to herself. She didn't have much time to relax herself, for, a few seconds later, she felt a hand on the top of her head. Her eyes widened. Panicking for a second, thinking that Lightning had somehow found her and had realized who she was and was now about to reveal her real hair, she slowly turned around, only to see Yuj inspecting her hair. With a growl, she slapped the man's hands away.

"Get me Serah's order so I can leave…" Yuj looked at her with a raised eyebrow before laughing and walking over to the counter.

Finally relaxing into her seat, she tried to focus her attention on the TV. She was gonna die of a heart attack. She was pretty sure. Judging by how her heart did summersaults inside her chest just now, she couldn't have felt surer. Before she could fully relax, a warm hand was placed on her shoulder. Kaiko felt her eyelid twitch in a weird way and her blood begin to boil.

"Leave me alone." She groaned, quite un-lady like, expecting Yuj to now be wearing his usual smirk. But then, she caught sight of the male she was expecting to see before her getting Serah's cappuccino.

'Oh no…' Feeling blood rush to her face, she lifted her gaze to the person who was standing behind her. His eyes were wide in surprise and amusement. 'Why do this things always happen to me?' She felt so dumb at that moment. The only thought swirling through her head was how many head slams to the table would take to knock herself out.

* * *

"Oh gosh. I'm… I'm so sorry! I thought you were Yuj trying to annoy me again and I- Oh Maker! I'm so sorry!" Hope raised an amused eyebrow and felt his lips coil up into a small smile when the woman began to ramble on about how Yuj had been bugging her. Only a few seconds in her presence and he was already smiling. How ridiculous. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the brunette. "So he was then checking my hair out, because for him it didn't look natural, but that was after I threw a cookie at him for being an idiot and, and… wait… that didn't make much sense… I'll just start over again."

"Don't worry about it." Hope quickly stopped her before she could start her rant. It's not that he didn't want to listen to her, is just that he had already understood. And making her start her rant all over again...just no.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked gently, gesturing with a hand to the seat across from her.

"Hmm? Oh, no! Please sit!"

Sitting himself down, he turn his attention to the brunette, who was quietly taking sips of her drink. He took the time to study her. She didn't change that much since they were kids. Her eyes still shined the way they used to. Which was the first thing he noticed when they were kids. There's also the way she acted and her attitude. He did spent a lot of time watching her, so he knew how she was. Well, not that much time, it's not like he was a stalker or anything that followed her everywhere. But if Hope remembered correctly, she always rambled when she was embarrassed. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the brunette spoke up.

"So…um, h-how are you?" Kaiko asked, somewhat nervously.

"I'm good. Great, actually." Hope replied, smiling at her gently. "I finally have some time off from work. It's been quite busy at the Academy lately."

Kaiko nodded, finally noticing that he wasn't wearing the Academy uniform. Instead, he was wearing a black t-shirt with dark green shorts. He also wore a detailed green neckerchief around his neck, which seemed to make his eyes pop out.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Kaiko narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "Is it about my hair?"

"No, of course not!" Hope laughed, shaking his head. "I was just wondering if maybe, you'd like to go grab a bite sometime…?"

"…" Kaiko stared at him blankly for a moment, processing what she had just heard. A pink blush spread across her cheeks. The straightforward question caught her off guard, and she couldn't help but shutter when she spoke "Um, I uh…you m-mean like… like a…" She trailed off and turned her gaze to her cup, not wanting to finish that sentence to prevent herself from further embarrassment if she was thinking too much into it.

"Date? Well, only if you wanted to. But yes, it's pretty much what I had in mind." Hope replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I understand if you don't want to, I mean…you haven't answered any of my calls so…"

Kaiko snapped her head up in that instant. "Calls? I haven't received any calls… besides those from my sister."

Hope tilted his head, his brows furrowing in confusion. "But I…" He took his phone from his back pocket and looked for the call log. When he found Kaiko's name, which was there several times, he extended his hand with the phone towards Kaiko, so she would see what he had meant. The woman stared at it for a moment before taking out her own phone.

"Dial the number." She told him, looking intensely at her phone. Hope did as he was told and brought the phone up to his ear. His brows furrowed in confusion when her phone didn't ring or vibrate whatsoever. "Let me see if I typed the number correctly." Hope handed Kaiko his phone. A smile grazed his lips when a bright pink blush spread across the woman's face.

"Oh haha…I typed the number wrong…" Kaiko half whispered, laughing embarrassedly. How many embarrassments could she possibly pass in one day?!

"There." She said, handing Hope back his phone after typing the right number.

"Kaiko!" Said woman turned her head towards the voice and saw Yuj holding a paper bag in his hands.

"Okay." Hope smiled. "So, about the date… Does tomorrow sound okay with you?"

Kaiko was about to nod her head, but stopped when a tiny Serah popped into her head reminding her about the get-together in Oerba. A small grunting sound came out of her lips, but it was unheard by Hope. '… Stupid tiny Serah…'

"I'll be leaving for Pulse tomorrow…" She told him softly. Her stomach twisted guiltily when his face fell, but the feeling was quickly replaced with confusion when a smile lit up the man's face.

"What time will you be leaving?"

"Around afternoon, possibly… why?" Kaiko asked, slowly.

"Because, if you're okay with it of course, we could meet here tomorrow morning…maybe?"

Kaiko smiled, a tiny blush tinting her cheeks. "Okay." She replied, standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Hope followed suit, a big smile on his face. He took a hold of her hand and without breaking eye contact, he lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Tomorrow then." He confirmed softly after letting go of her hand.

"Yeah…" She breathed out a little dazed before composing herself. She lifted a hand to wave at him before walking towards Yuj and roughly take the bag from the man, who raised an amused eyebrow in return.

* * *

Kaiko walked into her apartment. The goofy smile that had plastered itself on her face the minute she walked out of Beach House still intact.

"Serah, you will not believe what I just-… what are you doing?"

Kaiko stopped in the middle of the entrance that connected the living room and the kitchen. Her gaze was transfixed on her pink haired friend who right now had a strong resemblance to that guy from that famous painting who was screaming in silent horror. Yes. Serah's hands were glued to each of her cheeks, her mouth in the form of a perfect 'o', and her eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets. The brunette followed the horror filled gaze of her friend and found that she was staring at the TV. The screen was completely blank, which was adding to Kaiko's confusion. She walked over to the couch and snapped her fingers in front of Serah. The pinkette didn't even blink.

"Serah?"

No response.

Okay. Kaiko was genuinely concerned now. She sat down beside her friend and poke her forehead. This time she did react. The pinkette unglued her hands from her face and her expression changed into a completely blank one. Kaiko saw her mouth move, but didn't hear anything.

"Come again?" She strained her ears and leaned closer to the pinkette to make out what she was saying.

"It's gone."

Kaiko blinked and leaned away from the smaller woman. "What is?" Her brows furrowed in concern when Serah turned towards her, her eyes glazed over with tears.

"The episode of Drone… it…it got erased…"

"What?" Kaiko asked, to make sure she had heard right. All this drama for the episode of a show she could watch later?

Serah didn't say anything else and threw her arms around Kaiko's neck, hugging her tightly. Kaiko felt a sweat drop roll down the side of her head. A low sigh escaped her lips before she circled one of her arms around Serah, using the other to look for something to watch on the TV. Looking back to the first time she met the Farron, she never would've thought it would come to this. Having to comfort the pinkette because the recorded clip of one of her favorite shows had gotten deleted. Having to pretend she's her boyfriend just because the woman didn't know how to tell her sister she was dating an idiot. She never would have saw it coming. Her lips coil up into a small smile once she found what she was looking for.

"Oh, would you look at that? They're replaying yesterday's episode of Drone-" Kaiko let out a loud squeak when Serah pushed her away and jumped over the table to sit in front of the TV. The brunette stared at her friend in surprise before shaking her head in amusement. 'Unbelievable.'

* * *

Kaiko snuggled into her pillow and let out a content sigh. She was rather tired, and tomorrow would be a ridiculously long day. But at least she had something to look forward to in the morning. After that though… things were gonna get a tad complicated. The sound of her bedroom door opening and closing caught her attention. A soft mumble escaped her lips when she felt the covers been lifted and someone lying down on the empty space next to her. She turned on the lamp on the night stand next to her queen sized bed before looking over at Serah.

"Yes?" She asked after a few minutes of the pinkette ignoring her stare.

Serah turned her body to face her and propped her head up on her elbow, a thoughtful expression on her soft features. "I've been thinking…and…" She trailed off, and Kaiko gestured for her to continue with a small nod. "And… I don't think we should go through with this…"

Kaiko stared at her blankly. "You're having second thoughts…now?"

Serah nodded, smiling apologetically. Kaiko sighed and lightly pushed the pinkette's head back with two fingers. She was too tired to react like she normally would have…which was screaming at the pinkette. "I think it's a bit too late for that. Just sleep. Everything is gonna be fine, okay? You'll break up with me after the trip and that's that."

"Are you sure? I could just talk to Light. It was all my idea, so nothing would happen to you…" Serah tried again, placing a hand on top of Kaiko's.

"Yes, I'm sure! Though, I'm too tired to think straight right now and will probably regret this later…" Kaiko muttered after assuring the pinkette. She turned off the lamp and lifted the covers up to her shoulders, her back facing Serah. "Good night."

Serah felt a smile coil up on her lips. She then placed an arm on Kaiko's waist and hugged her. "Thank you." She whispered before letting her go and turning the other way. "Night."

Kaiko sighed once more when she felt sleep begin to take over. Tomorrow would go fine…she'll be the perfect boyfriend… **'I'm so screwed.'**

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! Incredibly long for me once again, but it's an apology for the wait (somewhat XD) ... Let me know guys, do you prefer slower updates and longer chapters or faster updates and shorter chapters? I prefer writing shorter chapters, but as a reader, I really love long chapters. So, just let me know! I care about my readers! So you guys let me know what's best for you! I'll check this chapter tomorrow if it has any mispells or whatnot...**

**Anyways, as always, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS, FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS! forteen favorites, twenty followers and nineteen reviews so far... I'm so happy I could do a backflip (which I really can't do XD) Thank you so much for the kind words! which I really appreciate and love getting emails about follows, favorites and reviews! haha anywho, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, which I can't help but notice was a bit fluffy... and the universe finally gave Kaiko a break... sort of XD. Well, see ya in the next chapter! The long awaited trip! .^_^. lol Mata ne!**


	10. Chapter 10

_"I-I uh, w-w-would you li- uh" He shook his head. His trembling hands tightening around the tickets for a concert he had gotten over a week ago._

_Kaiko tilted her head. 'This memory…' _

_Slowly, he held out a shaky hand with the two tickets. "W-would you go o-out w-w-with me?!" He asked in a quick shuttering manner, his eyes never leaving the ground. _

_Kaiko's posture stiffened as she stared wide-eyed at the boy. This feeling… She had definitely felt it before. She could hear her friends giggle a little from behind her, and people who were passing by the table seemed to froze and stare at them. The girl looked around. She didn't know what to do. Her mind had gone blank, and by now the boy had muster up the courage to look back at her, but he's gaze return back to the floor the instant her eyes made contact with his. Her stomach felt like it was twisting into itself. She knew what would happen next._

_He bit his lip, forcing himself to continue, even though in the back of his mind, a voice was yelling at him to turn tail and run. "__Y-y-you've tutored m-me this p-past semester…and I know it's a bit… weird for me t-to just… you know…" He shrank a little into himself, a hue of scarlet running across his cheeks. "But I- I think I can… make you… h-happy…"_

_Kaiko watched as the boy lifted his gaze and shyly locked it with hers. "I-…" She was at a loss for words. How was she supposed to just…? "I- um… you're just…"_

"_So tiny!" One of her friends cooed, batting her eyelashes. _

_Kaiko looked towards her group of friends, who were watching the whole scene in amusement. One in particular leaned forward, clasping a hand around her mouth as if she was about to tell a secret. "Oh, Kai! I'm _jealous_! It's cute how little boys like him flock to you!" The group of girls giggled at the joke. Kaiko however, just frowned and turned towards the boy again, who was practically shaking in fear by now. The brunette looked down with a small smile. Her small hands nervously fiddling with the hem of her sundress. _

"_I- I…" Kaiko began, a small blush starting to spread across her cheeks as her heart thundered in her chest. "I would-" _

_She was abruptly cut off when one of her friends threw an empty pack of chips at the back of her head. Kaiko turned her head towards them. The girl who had the pack of chips shook her head a bit, a small glare in her eyes. The others just waited for her to answer, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Kaiko pursed her lips, turning her head to take a glance at the boy._

'**Beep, beep! Beep, beep!' **

"Ugh! Stupid alarm…" Kaiko slammed her hand down on the alarm clock, frowning when it continue to scream annoyingly. Why did she buy the stupid thing in the first place? Peeking her head out from underneath the sheets, she glared murderously at the offending object, which seemed to be mocking her. She propped herself up on her elbows and pressed the snooze button once again.

"Kai…alarm…" She heard Serah mumble when the clock continued on screaming, her voice heavy with sleep.

Kaiko turned her head to glare at the back of her friend's head. Not only was she annoyed to be woken up by an alarm at… She checked the time on the clock and nearly stood up to throw it out the window. 'Why on Cocoon did I put the alarm for this early in the freaking morning?' She screamed at herself, giving up on snoozing the thing and ended up just plugging it off. She has never liked being woken up early. And having people talking to her after being so…_rudely_ woken up… She just didn't like it at all. Even when she was little she wasn't really a morning person. Her mother learned that by having pillows thrown at her face every time she tried to wake her up. Her sister however, had clocks launched at her instead of pillows. She preferred that method. It shut her sister _and _the alarm up. She wasn't really that violent. But back then, morning her barely used her brain and just went with instincts.

The photographer laid back down to try to sleep, but memories from the dream she had popped up in her mind. She definitely wasn't going to sleep anymore. Why would she be dreaming of something like that? She knew it wasn't just a dream. It was a memory. And something was triggering it. If she wasn't mistaken, it was the same dream she had a few days ago.

She turned on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She must have gotten hit in the head before going to high school or something. It's not normal to just forget things like that. She should probably see a doctor about it.

'That boy though…' The brunette groaned and took the pillow below her head to cover her face. Today was proving to be quite the stressful day. 'Wait!' She abruptly sat up, the soft pillow falling onto her lap. There was a reason why she had to wake up this early. It obviously wasn't work, and she was pretty sure everything about the trip was taken care of. 'What was it?' She looked around the room as if doing that would somehow help her remember. Her eyes fell on the light silver covers of her bed. 'Silver sheets…' The brunette stroke the sheets a little as she thought. 'Silver… Hope!'

Kaiko scrambled out of her bed, nearly falling onto her face in the process. She had a date with him… She had a date with him! The brunette immediately stood up and ran at full speed into her closet to look for something to wear. Leave it to her to forget such things this easily. As she kept on rummaging through her clothes, Serah sat up, glaring at the closet's door where she knew her friend was for all the noise she was making. The pinkette shook the covers off herself and made her way over to her friend's walk-in-closet. She leaned on the doorway, the tiniest of scowls on her features.

"Kaiko… what are you doing?" Serah asked, curling a hand around her mouth as she yawned. The brunette ignored her, looking for clothes viciously. "If you're looking for what you're going to wear for the trip, it's in the living room already…" The pinkette raised an eyebrow when Kaiko took out a random piece of clothing and ran past her.

"I have a date!" She heard the brunette say, followed by the slam of the bathroom's door. Serah stood in place, staring at nothing in particular. It wasn't until she heard the shower go off that realization hit her.

"You have a what now?!" Serah screeched, kicking the door to the bathroom open. She stared at the curtain of the shower, waiting for a reply.

"Date." Kaiko replied curtly, unfazed by having her friend barge in like that.

"Wh- I…now? Who makes a date at… seven in the morning?" Serah asked slowly, a tad annoyed at being woken up that early, and a small sweat drop rolling down the side of her head at the oddness of it all. She knew the brunette could be a bit weird sometimes… but a date that early was just ridiculous.

Kaiko poked her head from behind the curtain, her damp hair sticking to her face. She stared at Serah with a dull expression. "Well, it would have been much later if it wasn't because of the certain _mess_ a certain _somebody_ pulled me into…"

"…" Serah's mouth open and closed a few times before she nodded in understanding. "You have a point. So," She continued, casually leaning against the doorframe as an excited smile coiled along her lips. "Who's the guy?"

"I knew him back in Palumpolum. We studied in the same middle school…Now, can you let me finish my shower in peace?" Kaiko answered, returning back to her shower.

Serah ignored her friend's request and tilted her head. "Aww! Did he have a crush on you back then?"

"I don't know. If he did, I don't remember…"

Serah could only groan at her friend's lack of memory. "What is up with that brain of yours?" The pinkette asked out loud, shaking her head in disappointment. Kaiko grumbled something inaudible under her breath in response, stepping out of the shower after turning the water off and covering her damp body with a towel. "That'd be cute though." The pinkette stated, clasping her hands behind her back. An almost dazed look appeared on her soft features as she imagined a whole love story between her friend and the mystery guy, since she didn't know who it was.

"What would?" Kaiko tilted her head in confusion. "You okay? What's with the face?"

"Nothing." Serah sang, walking out of the bathroom with a slight smile. Kaiko stared after her, raising a bemused eyebrow. Checking the time in her cell, she hurriedly put her clothes on and followed after Serah, drying her hair with a towel.

"Well, I should hurry."

Serah sighed and turned to face her friend. She knew the brunette was smart and, well, an adult, and she could take care of herself, but she couldn't help but worry. The brunette could be quite dense sometimes. "Just take care, okay?" The younger Farron spoke, running a hand through her hair to tame the pink locks. Kaiko rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless to ease her friend's worries. It's always been like that. The pinkette getting worried over the smallest things.

"It'll be fine, Serah! Don't worry." Kaiko began to make her way towards the front door after she finished drying her hair with a slightly pouty Serah in tow. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned to face the pinkette. "I'll be back aro-

'**Knock, knock.' **

"Hmm?"

Kaiko stared at the door for a minute. 'Who would come over this early?' She asked herself. Only one face popped up in her mind and she wished, no, _prayed_ she was wrong. 'Oh God, please don't let it be Kairi…' With a questioning eyebrow raised, she peeked into the peeping-hole and nearly fainted on the spot. All color drained from her face, and Serah watched as she turned around, looking as if her soul had just been sucked out of her body. She then began to gape, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. The pinkette sweat dropped at the gapping Kaiko before moving her aside to look through the peephole.

"It's her!" Kaiko whispered loudly, after several minutes of having her mouth open and close without any sound coming out. Serah stared at her for a moment before taking a look for herself, since she would probably get nothing from the brunette at this rate. But judging by her friend's state, it couldn't be good. After looking through the peephole herself, she realized with dread what had the photographer acting this crazy. She would have begun doing the same thing if she wasn't as levelheaded as she was. Because standing right there on the other side of the door, looking as irritated as ever, was none other than Lightning Farron herself. Lady luck sure wasn't on their side as Fang would most likely say at a moment like this.

"Serah! What are we gonna do? She can't see me dressed like this!" Kaiko exclaimed as quietly as she could, so that the pinkette on the other side of the door wouldn't hear them. The photographer was about to start pacing, but Serah immediately intervened, not needing to add any more stress to the situation.

"Um… Go hide or something... I'll see what she wants." Serah said, pushing the brunette in the direction of her room. She then turned around towards the door when the brunette nodded and dashed away.

"Wait!" Serah turned her head to see Kaiko standing in the hallway, looking at her in suspicion, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "How did she find out where I live?" The brunette asked slowly.

Serah only blinked in response before waving a hand dismissively, a nervous chuckle coming out of her pink lips. "How would I know?" Kaiko's eyes narrowed more, if possible. "Doesn't matter right now! Just go!" Serah said quickly, placing a hand on the doorknob when she heard the door to the photographer's room close. She heaved a small sigh and put on a smile as she opened the door. "Claire, hi!" The pinkette greeted as soon as the soldier came into sight. "Please, come in!"

The older Farron merely sighed at her before huffing a bit. "I figured you'd be here." The soldier looked at her disapprovingly before frowning, staring at her sister's bed hair. "You're still not ready to go?"

Serah blinked owlishly at her. Her brain still a bit fuzzy from sleep to comprehend the words that had come out of her sister's mouth. "Go?"

Lightning let out an irritated sigh, crossing her arms across her chest. "We're leaving to Oerba remember?" The taller pinkette reminded with a roll of her eyes, sidestepping her sister to walk into the apartment.

"Y-yeah, but that's… It's seven in the morning, Light. We're not leaving until like, one in the afternoon…" Serah blinked, leading the taller woman into the living room. Sitting down on the couch, she gestured for her sister to follow suit. The older Farron seemed to hesitate for a moment before she too sat down. The frown on her face slightly deepening.

"I left you a voicemail since you didn't pick up the phone…" Serah frowned in confusion, staring at the taller woman. "I guess you didn't get it…" Lightning sighed, crossing her toned legs one over the other, which were in plain sight thanks to the brown shorts she was wearing. "The flight we were going on was canceled, so we had to go either earlier or later. It would have been troublesome for Fang, since she's the one picking us up, to get us later. So we're leaving in about an hour."

Serah just sat there, a little dumbfounded by the information. Yup. This confirmed it. Neither the Universe or lady luck was on their side. Maybe it was Kaiko's apartment. Since she practically lives there by now, the bad luck Kaiko seems to have was rubbing off on her as well. What was she going to tell the brunette now?

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaiko was in her room doing her usual nervous pacing. It was becoming a rather, regular thing for her by now. She had been able to hear Lightning say they were gonna leave earlier. In other words, they had to leave now, and she wouldn't be able to go on the date with Hope.

The brunette walked towards the window in her room and stared out of it. 'Maybe I can climb down from here…' She looked down at the ground below. The building had to be at least twenty stories tall, and she wasn't desperate enough as to climb down it. She wasn't some kind of super human, so that was completely out of the question. It wasn't like she had a death wish or anything… or maybe she did, just judging by the situation she had somehow pulled herself into. She was gonna have to give the silver haired man a call and let him know she wouldn't be able to make it, or… she could just go out there, and pretend she was Kai's twin sister... Kaiko raised an eyebrow, letting the idea roll through her head.

'That's just ridiculous.'

The woman took out her cell phone and stared at it. She was really looking forward to the date, and now she couldn't go. 'Just great.' Her mood had gone from irritated, to angry. No, it wasn't really anger, she was…annoyed more than anything, and tired. Sleep was indeed important, and she barely had any from mentally kicking herself for agreeing to go to Pulse, even though Serah was all in to call it quits. With a heavy sigh, she scrolled through her contacts, and just when she was about to tap Hope's name, the door to the room swung open. Kaiko almost dropped her phone in surprise. She whirled around to find a frantic looking Serah with a pair of clothes in her hands.

"Here." The pinkette pushed the clothes into Kaiko's hands, ushering her to change as quickly as possible. "Lightning's asking for you. I told her I was coming to wake you up. So, hurry up and change! We're leaving now." The pinkette rushed out, walking into the bathroom after taking a pair of clothes for herself.

Kaiko blinked for a moment before looking at her phone. She was a bit startled when the device began to ring, Hope's name appearing on the screen. He was probably calling to check why she wasn't at Beach House yet. But what was she going to tell him? She couldn't just go: 'Oh, hey Hope! Sorry, I'm not gonna be able to make it! I have to pretend to be my best friend's boyfriend and go with her family to my possible doom!'

Yeah, he would probably think it was just an excuse to not go on the date… But she couldn't just ignore the call either. Heaving a sigh, she tapped the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Kaiko!" Came Hope's worried voice, making her feel all the more guilty. "Are you at Beach House yet?"

"No. I was just about to call you. I-"

"Good." She heard the man on the end of the line sigh in relief. The brunette wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "I just got a call from work. Something unexpected came up, so I have to go there right away." Hope let out what appeared to be an irritated grunt. "I tried to cancel, but apparently is urgent. I'm really sorry!"

Kaiko felt a smile coil up along her lips, and some of the stress was lifted off her shoulders. Maybe things were going to look up today. "It's fine! Don't worry about it! We can just make plans for another time."

"Are you sure?" Hope asked worriedly.

"Yes! It's fine!"

"Alright." The silver haired man sounded more relieved now. "Well, I have to go now. I'm about to enter the office. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure. Bye." She disconnected the call and sat herself on the edge of her bed. About time something went her way. She had one thing less to take care off. But she wasn't really sure if it did go her way. After all, a really intimidating woman was in her living room at the moment.

"You're not dressed yet?!" Serah screeched when she got out of the bathroom wearing the clothes she previously had on her hands. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and her usual red pleaded skirt. "Do I have to dress you too?" Kaiko frowned in response, but she couldn't help but let out a small laugh for some reason.

* * *

"Did you put them on okay?"

"I don't know. Am I supposed to breathe with this thing?" Kaiko asked, once she and Serah were descent enough to go see Lightning. The two were referring to the ridiculously tight bandages wrapped around the brunette's chest as they walked into the hallway.

Serah turned her head to stare at Kaiko. She looked down at the brunette's now literally flat chest before looking back up at her face. "No."

Kaiko blinked at Serah's deadpanned reply. "Huh… Then I did!" The pinkette laughed a bit as they entered the living room, an annoyed Lightning greeting their sight.

"About time." The woman stood up placing her right hand on her hip. Kaiko couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy towards the woman. She was like a freaking model! Actually, the two Farrons were rather similar in the beauty department. Beautiful pink locks. Sparkling blue eyes. Perfect body. She wasn't that bad herself, but compared to them… She was… average. She wasn't able to ponder much on the thought however. Serah pushed both of their luggage, Kaiko's and hers, into the brunette's hands, a sickly sweet smile on her face.

"Thanks, honey." The pinkette said sweetly, lightly patting her cheek. Kaiko would have dropped the bags, immediately protesting to the idea of carrying them with a cold glare. But she couldn't. The cold, blue orbs observing her almost had her petrified into place. She slowly turned her head towards the tall pink haired woman, but once her eyes made contact with the blue hues, she immediately looked down.

"Well, let's go!" Serah exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together before walking out the door. Lightning followed her sister with her eyes before looking at Kaiko, who was having a bit of trouble with the bags. Kaiko managed to take a hold of the four bags and looked up at the soldier with the tiniest of smiles, giving a small nod of her head. Lightning breathed out sigh, and followed after her sister.

The brunette watched her go, heaving a sigh herself. Hopefully, Serah's other family members wouldn't be like this… Cause spending two weeks with people that made one feel as uncomfortable and intimidated as she felt around the pink haired woman, wasn't exactly… well, paradise.

The car ride to the airport was rather silent, the only small talk made was by Serah, when she asked her sister how she was doing or how her job was going. The pink haired soldier gave small replies in return, barely leaving room for conversation.

It wasn't long until they reached the airport and were boarding the plane. Everything was going quite smoothly. So smoothly, that Kaiko couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious about it. However, she was expecting something to happen soon. Something always happened. She was cursed after all. By now, the only weird thing that had happened was that almost everyone in the airport had seemed to be staring at them once they entered. The stares were more directed at Lightning than anyone else. They were either scared and/or intimidated, which she totally understood, or awestruck. A few of the males had shot her weird or dirty looks. Probably wondering why a 'guy' like 'him' would be hanging out with the notorious Lightning Farron _and _her sister. It seemed to happen a lot though. The pink haired woman paid no mind to this, either she didn't care or she just didn't notice. It was most likely the former. But either way, they were now seated in the plane and everything had gone okay.

Kaiko made herself comfortable in her seat and stared out the window as the plane took off. The ride to Oerba would take at least three and a half hours. Perfect time to catch on sleep. Slightly tilting the seat back, she began to doze off. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take over, but a gentle hand placed on her arm stopped her. Cracking an eye open, she found Serah looking at her. The pinkette smiled at her gratefully with a nod of her head, mouthing the words 'thank you'. Kaiko let out a small, tired, smile back, watching as the pinkette nodded once more before turning the other way to face her sister. The older Farron had busied herself with a magazine, and was flipping through the pages uninterestedly. If she was going to be a guy, she would be the best one. She would have to win Lightning over somehow. That was the only way she would get out of this mess alive. With a tired sigh, the woman now disguised as a man closed her eyes once more and let sleep consume her.

* * *

Finally arriving in Oerba, Serah breathed out a small relieved sigh. They were still alive, that was something. She turned her head to look at Kaiko, who was looking around the airport in search of Fang. They had been looking for her for several minutes now and there was still no sign of the wild haired woman anywhere. It was best if she hurried. By the looks of it, Lightning was starting to get impatient. Glancing at her watch for what seemed like the twentieth time, the younger Farron tried to spot the familiar face in the crowd.

"Where the hell is that idiot?" Lightning spoke, tapping her feet against the floor. A clear sign of her impatience.

"I'm sure she must be looking around for us." Serah replied, craning her neck to see if she could catch a glimpse of the woman. Lightning just scoffed in return.

"Hey Sunshine."

Kaiko and the Farron sisters turned around to find Fang standing right behind them, a cup of what appeared to be coffee in her right hand. The woman smirked, and it only got wider when her eyes met Lightning's. The pink haired soldier was obviously annoyed. Her eye was twitching in a weird way, and a vein seemed to be popping out of her forehead.

"What took you so long?"

"Oh, I felt like gettin' a coffee on the way here." Fang shook the cup on her hand a bit to emphasize what she was saying. Kaiko felt a sweat drop roll down the side of her head. This woman sure was carefree. And it bewildered her how she could talk to Lightning like that, knowing quite well what the Farron was capable of.

Lightning didn't reply however, she snatched Fang's practically full cup from her hands and threw it in a nearby trash can, the scowl on her face just deepening when she turned towards the Pulsian. Fang just watched everything with an amused smile while Kaiko stared at them uneasily, half expecting the wild haired woman to pounce at the other. But no. Fang's smile only widened as she looked at the irritated Lightning right in the eye.

"Is that normal?" Kaiko whispered to Serah. The pinkette merely sighed in return, a small smile grazing her features.

"Lightning's quarrels with Fang? Yup. Happens every time they meet up." Kaiko could only look back at her with her jaw slightly ajar. She turned her attention back to the two older women once she heard Fang's laughter.

The Pulsian was shaking her head while Lightning glared at her. She then turned towards Kai and smirked. "Glad you could join us, mate." The woman made her way towards the 'boy' and placed an arm around 'his' shoulders. "You'll love it here! We better go though. Everyone's waiting."

Kaiko chuckled nervously, looking up at the taller woman. "E-everyone?" She turned her head towards Serah, who was apparently scolding Lightning, well, more like trying to, since the woman was paying no attention.

'**Just what did I pulled myself into...'**

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**A/N: Hey, loves! Here's the 10th chapter (finally). I'm sorry it took so long! But I seriously didn't like how this chapter kept turning out. I kept re-writing it over and over... I'm still not satisfied with it v.v... But I decided to upload it before I deleted the whole thing xD I got really frustrated with it and kept neglecting it... But I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer! So there it is! I hope you guys enjoyed the pretty boring chapter nonetheless. But promise next one will be better! (I do this a lot... xD) No worries guys! Hope will have his date soon ;) Oh, you remember I said I'd make a drawing of Kaiko right? Well, it's almost done! The sketch was made like, ages ago... but I'm working on it in Illustrator... it's not easy with a mouse... I want a bamboo..so badly x3**

**Thank so much to all of you, my lovely readers! Thank you for the reviews and follows and favorites! It makes me feel so warm inside when I get feedback like that...lol Anyways! I'l be starting school again soon, but hopefully I'll be able to post another chapter before it gets in my way -.-**

**Mata ne! :3**


	11. Chapter 11

The car was silent as Kaiko softly clenched the inside flesh of her bottom lip with her teeth out of nervousness. The faint, light music coming out from the speakers did nothing to ease her worries. Not that it would help anyway. She doubted anything would at this point really. On her right, Serah was oblivious to her friend's worry-stricken gaze, looking outside the window with a soft, almost nostalgic, smile coiling her pink lips. A light tapping sound called the photographer's attention, making her turn her head to the front of the car, where Fang was sitting in the driver's seat, tapping along to the music. Next to Fang, on the passenger's seat, sat Lightning, irritation coming out of her pores in waves. Though, the woman seemed to be like that the majority of time Kaiko had seen her, she couldn't blame her for being like that at the moment. Fang had been nothing but a tease the entire way. It was quite entertaining to say the least. The woman's carefree attitude towards everything could even irritate Kaiko, but the brunette also found it kind of comforting. It gave her something to take her mind out of the current situation. However, Serah had told her they were almost there just a few minutes earlier, crashing her back to her fidgeting, nervous ways.

"Oi, Kai." Fang called out, making the brunette snap her head towards her. Once she knew she had the 'boy's' attention she continued. "I heard you met Vanille already." The brunette gave an unnecessary nod of her head, despite the fact that Fang wasn't looking at her. "How was she? Was she… intimidating?" The Pulsian asked, and Kaiko could hear the woman's amused smile in her tone.

"Um, okay I guess…" Kaiko replied unsurely, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "S-she's… nice." The photographer added lamely.

Fang merely chuckled, turning a corner before continuing. "You already won her over." Kaiko lifted her gaze from her hands, looking at the back of Fang's head with a bit of surprise.

"However, she's the least of your worries. The one you should be more preoccupied with is Sunshine over here." Fang deadpanned, nodding towards the pink haired soldier, who huffed in return. The soldier turned her head slightly to shoot Fang a murderous glare, eyes dangerously narrowed, and lips pursed into a thin line.

"Don't call me that."

"Call you what?" Fang asked, shooting a small glance in Lightning's direction, her tone playful. The pink haired soldier didn't answer, only narrowing her eyes more at the woman, if possible. She crossed her arms across her chest, a deep scowl overpowering her normally stoic features.

Kaiko stifled a gulp, turning her head to look at Serah. The younger Farron chuckled nervously, looking back at her with an apologetic smile. 'It'll be fine.' The pink haired woman mouthed. Kaiko didn't answer her, slightly narrowing her eyes before looking outside the window at the passing scenery.

Gran Pulse sure was beautiful. She couldn't compare it to Cocoon. Both countries are completely different. While Cocoon is more modernized, with lots of buildings and such, Gran Pulse was more… nature-ish as to put it in simpler words. Both had amazing technology, thanks to The Academy. But in Gran Pulse, unlike in Cocoon, they have more respect for nature. And she actually enjoyed the beautiful landscapes they had passed by. It was sure a good thing she brought her camera and laptop with her. Even though she knew she would barely have time to work, she could get some nice pictures, and maybe make a few tweaks on her already edited ones.

The brunette's thoughts once more went back to the day she made the agreement with her pink haired friend. What on earth possessed her to agree to go in the first place? Despite the beauty of the place, she was annoyed with herself now. She was starting to get tired of her own thoughts, having them always replay themselves in her mind like a broken record.

"C'mon Fang! Light isn't that bad." The younger Farron laughed, leaning over to look at her sister from behind her seat. "In fact… I'm pretty sure she likes Kai already."

Lightning's head slowly turned to look at her sister. Her dead stare was enough for Kaiko to turn away, suppressing a gulp.

"Anyways-" Fang spoke up after a few minutes of driving in silence, gaining once again, the photographer's attention. "We're here."

Kaiko isn't sure whether to feel horrified, or a bit relieved now that she was there. Horrified, for obvious reasons. Relieved…well, she won't be in the same car as Lightning now. Don't get her wrong though. It wasn't that she didn't like the woman. On the contraire really. Kaiko thought she was actually pretty cool… No, she was just really intimidated by her. But still, despite the fact that the woman seemed to snap at almost anything, Kaiko didn't dislike her. She still has to get to know her of course. The brunette knows nothing about the soldier. Except for the obvious, like her being Serah's sister and that she was a soldier. But that's pretty much it… Oh and she seems to not like many things…

The photographer was pulled out of her thoughts when Serah opened the door, a high-pitched squeal meeting her ears instantly. Kaiko winced, closing one of her eyes as she waited for the ringing in her ears to stop. The photographer then got out of the car after Serah, eyes taking in everything about the place.

It was amazing to say the least. In all honesty, Kaiko expected to see something like shabby, crumbling buildings, or a deserted city, like the ones she had seen in movies, but no. It looked welcoming. It was a lively place, with a cloudless sky. The afternoon sun shone down on the town, almost making it glow. The houses and modern buildings in the village were in top shape. The one they had stopped in front of was huge. Kaiko felt like she was looking up into a villa. A villa made out of solid and hard wood. Pale green grass sat about the place, softly dancing to the lightly blowing wind. The brunette looked around in awe, her mint green hues widened slightly when the sound of soft waves crashing onto shore reached her ears. Her head snapped towards the sound, her eyes taking in the soft looking white sand and glistening waters feet away from her, some of that view being blocked by a gigantic tree.

"Beautiful, huh?" Fang spoke almost cockily, leaning against the car and inhaling a deep breath as a soft breeze passed by them, taking with it the salty water smells.

"Yeah…" Kaiko nodded in agreement. She was about to make a comment on just how amazing it was, but her words died in her mouth the minute she felt the impact of something colliding on her back, and then a pair of arms circle around her torso in a bone-crushing hug. All thoughts on Oerba quickly vanished as the air was squeezed out of her lungs, _literally. _

The brunette slightly turned her head around, mint green hues focusing on the bright orange hair pressed to her back. She tried to tell the redhead just how important oxygen was to her, but decided that maybe just greeting her would snap her out of it. "Um, h-hi there."

The redhead attached to her lifted her head to look at her, sparkling emeralds glistening with happiness. "Hi!" Vanille smiled, her grip still as tight.

"Nille, you're crushing 'im." Fang chuckled, shaking her head as she walked to the back of the car to get their things.

"Vanille…" Serah called out to the redhead, biting down on her lip as she watched the color on her best friend's face redden considerably. "You're going to kill him…"

Vanille turned to look at Serah, before looking at the back of Kai's head. "Mmm? Oh! Sorry!" The redhead apologized, quickly letting go. She giggled a bit under her hand as Kai turned around, inhaling and exhaling deeply. The Pulsian wasted no time, taking a grip of Kai's strangely tiny wrist.

"C'mon! The others are waiting!"

Kaiko opened her mouth to protest as the redhead began to drag her towards the house with a strength that didn't fit her tiny body at all. "W-wait! But I…" The brunette turned her head to look at Serah, who stared back at her with a raised eyebrow, lips slightly parted and her index finger raised as if she was about to say something. The pinkette gave a small shrug of her shoulders, turning to help Fang and Lightning unload their luggage.

The brunette narrowed her eyes at the back of her friend's head, already planning how to get her back. She turned her head ahead of herself once again, going up the three steps at the front of the villa's door as the redhead continued to pull her. Once in front of the door, Kaiko stifled a gasp as Vanille practically kicked the door open, pulling her along excitedly.

"This is so great! I've been waiting for this like, forever! I'm sure the others have been waiting to meet you too! I mean, I've practically talked their ears off about you. "

Vanille chattered animatedly as they entered the house. Once inside, Kaiko couldn't help but compare it to her own place. The differences were amazing. Her furniture was modern, sure, but the ones inside this home looked more familiar… sophisticated even, she thought as they passed the living room. Kaiko would bet they used an interior decorator. Not that she was saying this people couldn't have done it themselves, it just looked that great. Her walls were a plain white, most of them decorated with small splashes of red thanks to her niece's 'artistic' abilities when she was more little. She liked it though…reason why she has left it there. This place however, had beautiful hard wood walls, not a single splash of anything in them. As they passed the hall, Kaiko's eyes took in every single picture frame hanging off the walls. Most filled with strange people she didn't know, but there was one that called her attention instantly, where a tiny, smiling Serah and Vanille were practically glomping a scowling Lightning.

'So, she's always been like this?' Kaiko mused to herself, as she stared at Lightning's tiny scowling face that resembled more a pout.

If Kaiko would've seen her when she was little she would've felt just as intimidated as she was of her now. But she wasn't able to ponder much on it, when Vanille was pulling her yet again. Kaiko did have pictures on her walls, she was a photographer after all. However, they were mostly of artistic things one might say. The few she had of her family was mostly hidden in the depths of her room. Why? She just didn't feel the need of having anyone that came over to her place see her whole family. One may never know. For all she knew, a totally crazy person that might be planning to take revenge on her for some crazy reasons could break into her apartment and would see the pictures, and then hunt her family down to kill them because of her… Okay, so maybe that was little extreme, but still. She just didn't feel the need to put them up yet.

Letting herself be pulled to the backyard, Kaiko was finally able to place the differences between the homes in simpler words. This place had life. If a total stranger were to come to her apartment, they wouldn't know someone lived there if it wasn't for the mess of pictures and magazines lying on the coffee table in her living room.

Vanille let go of her and slid the glass door open, where Kaiko's eyes could already see the group of strangers sitting around and talking animatedly amongst themselves. Her nervousness kicked in as she sat foot on the grass, her legs were itching for her to make a run for it, but better judgment told her not to. Her thoughts were running in her head at such a speed, that she was barely able to keep up. Worst case scenarios playing themselves over and over. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Serah coming up behind her.

The smaller pinkette planted a small kiss on the photographer's cheek. It wasn't till then that the chatter stopped. All eyes were set on Kaiko and Serah, who by now had linked her arm with Kaiko's. The stares were… friendly. The fact odd Kaiko. She was sure this people would be out to get her for 'dating' one of their own. Though, she quickly disregarded the though, focusing on acting… boyish. Probably noticing just how nervous the brunette was, the group turned their heads to continue with whatever they were doing in the first place. Only a black man with an afro, sporting a white button-down shirt and khakis, came up to them, a smaller and younger version of himself in tail.

"I'm guessing you're the boyfriend, huh?" The man raised an eyebrow, a friendly smile adorning his face. Kaiko slowly nodded her head, not wanting to talk out of fear of her voice cracking. "The name's Sazh." The man nodded his head, then bent over to pick up the boy hiding behind his legs to place him on his shoulders. "And this little one is my son, Dajh."

"This is Kai." Vanille introduced, practically bouncing in place as Kaiko gave another nod of her head. An awkward smile came over Kaiko's lips as the little boy stared at her.

"So, I've heard. No need to look so nervous there, kid!" The black man clasped a friendly arm to Kaiko's back, hoping to make her feel less nervous. The brunette bit down on her lip to keep herself from yelping. "Relax, okay? This place is to have fun, ey?"

Kaiko gave a small smile back, some of the tension on her shoulders dying down at the reassuring tone on the man's voice.

"So, this is the friend everyone has been talking about?" The little boy asked, looking at Kaiko with a cute frown of confusion.

"Everyone, huh?" Serah laughed as she turned her head in Vanille's direction, who nervously giggled as Serah raised a pink eyebrow.

"Sorry, couldn't help it!"

Sazh gave a chuckle himself as he looked at his son. "Yeah, well… I'll see you later, alright? Gotta get some food for this one." The man waved a bit as he walked in the direction of what looked more like a buffet table than anything else.

Serah turned her attention towards Vanille once the man was out of sight, blue eyes narrowing slightly. The redhead gave another giggle before piloting on her heel, blabbering something about talking with someone. With a sigh, the pinkette turned towards Kaiko, who was oddly calm.

"You okay there, babe?" The pinkette laced her fingers with her friend's, slightly swaying their hands back and forth.

Kaiko merely stared at her, unamused. "Don't call me that. What are you doing?" The brunette asked quickly when she noticed Serah leaned closer to whisper something to her.

"Appearances? If you haven't noticed, everyone is eavesdropping on us."

Kaiko slowly turned her head, noticing that indeed, they were looking in their direction. A certain pinkette, who she hadn't notice coming in, looking directly at her. Just great. She was gonna have to be attached to Serah by the hip. The brunette turned towards the younger Farron again, moving to an angle where the group wouldn't be able to see her face, to glare murderously at her.

"If I go down, I swear by Cocoon, that I'm gonna take you down with me." The brunette leaned back, shooting Serah a sickly sweet smile.

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"Aaww! Aren't they cute?" Vanille exclaimed as she looked over at the whispering couple, tugging a bit at the hem of Fang's shirt.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey Sunshine! You don't look as pissed as I thought you would about the whole situation. You must have realized just what a great idea I had."

"No." Lightning replied bluntly, spinning around to stare at Fang dully. "You couldn't have had a stupider idea. In your life."

Fang's face slowly fell into a frown, turning her head to look around the now chuckling group. "C'mon! It was great! Loosen up a bit! You might even end up liking him!" The woman stated.

"No." Fang gave the pink haired soldier a blank stare before looking over at the couple, who were now making their way over. Well, more like Serah dragging Kai behind her.

"Hey everyone."

The chatter around stopped as everyone turned in Serah's direction. A wide smirk spread across Fang's face as the stares turned towards Kai. The poor boy fidgeted nervously behind Serah, green hues finding interest on a certain spot on the floor.

"I guess you all know… but this is my boyfriend, Kai."

A moment of silence passed as everyone stared blankly at Serah. Not a minute later, the group swarmed around the couple, asking questions a mile a minute. A voice in particular though, was able to resonate above the others.

"WHAT?!"

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**A/N: Well, this took forever... Sorry it's so short! But I honestly haven't found the time to sit down and write! I hope this chapter, despite it's shortness, makes up for the last one XD **

**Updates will come slower because of school! Senior year isn't going as smooth and easy as everyone made it seem to be... (I'm taking physics this year and damn...it's such a b*tch...XD)**

**Thank you so much to everyone that has read this story! Especially the Follows, Favorites, and Reviews! I really appreciate it! And thanks for the encouraging words! I hope I can start with the next chapter soon! And it'll hopefully be longer! XD Well, gotta go for now...have to study -.- Mata ne! :3**


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